Once A Pirate
by Veronica Chadwick
Summary: Jamie and Claire stumble across another time traveler who shares with them her history with Stephen Bonnet, and reveals a side of the pirate that no one else has ever known. An alternate universe fiction. Some mature content.
1. A New Arrival

_contains spoilers to_ Drums in Autumn, The Fiery Cross_, and_ A Breath of Snow and Ashes

_Disclaimer: Characters (other than Vanessa)and the Outlander series belongs to Diana Gabaladon, and I am making no profit off of them. This is merely a little side story I thought up because for whatever depraved reason I felt sympathetic towards Stephen Bonnet and did not want him to have died completely alone and loveless. I know, I have lost my friggin' mind. I welcome feedback good or bad, but please refrain from telling me how much Bonnet deserved his death and yada yada, I do KNOW that, but my inner writer couldn't pass him up._

**

* * *

**

"The formidable Bonnet with a love token? Could be, Roger supposed; some women might find the Captain's air of subdued violence attractive."

From _Drums in Autumn_, chapter 38.

**Once a Pirate**

**Ocracoke**

**September 1776**

Jamie let out a sigh of relief as Claire stirred out of the unconsciousness she had been thrust into during Jemmy and Roger's departure through the stones, following Brianna and wee Amanda.

Muttering to himself, "_For your sake, I will continue -- though for mine alone… I would not_." He hadn't really expected her to hear him, but the faint smile that warmed her face as he said it told him she had. He felt glad for it.

He wasn't expecting it; could not remotely be prepared for it. He was helping Claire to her feet when she staggered again, hand on her head. There was a brief white flash off towards the stone circle and lying delicately off to the side of it was a body.

Claire had seen it at the exact same time he had, and had the same direct thought that it was one of their family. Claire swayed a little and collapsed back to her knees. "I c-can't. The stones are too strong. They are deafening." She didn't have to say the rest, he could see in her eyes that she was horrified that they might take her if she got to close, but her eyes remained on the heap on the ground. All her instincts were screaming for her to get to that body."It is someone else."

It had been almost a whisper, but as he looked back he realized as well it was not Roger or Jem, nor Brianna. But it was a woman. "I'll bring her here to ye." He said to Claire already moving.

He kept his eyes cautiously fixed on the stones as he approached her. Not hearing the noise the stones made himself, he felt less apprehensive, but not altogether unwary of the fact that these stones had power to rip someone away from the time and place they knew and into one they did not.

The girl looked to be alive, but unconscious. She was wearing a dress that looked strange to him. It was all black,and the sleeves were short and ruffled. It had a ribbon around the waist tied into a bow at the back that had been sewn into the dress, and it only went down to her knees. A shift then? No. he could see a hint of a shift peaking from under the hem that was white and silky. Definitely a woman like his wife. A woman from the future.

He picked her up cautiously , and hastily made his way back to his wife who had her fingers on the girl's neck checking her pulse before he had put her all the way down on to the ground.

"Her pulse is going slow. She will live, but she isn't in great shape. I wonder if this isn't her first time through the stones."

Claire had told him it got worse each time, and that she was relatively fine, if not a bit shaky, the first time through.

Jamie stared at the woman's round face. Freckles lightly traced the cheeks and cascaded over the bridge of her nose. She had hairsimilar toClaire's though: curled and frantic, not wanting to be tamed. It was a light brown color, the kind that was originally blonde, but had darkened. There were still some streaks of a lighter blonde in it though. She wasn't as thin as Claire, or as tall. She was maybe an inch or two more than five feet, and possibly a wee bit overweight, but not to the point of being considered fat.

Claire had pulled the girl's hair off of her neck allowing the air to reach it. Her hair was short, about shoulder length. "Remember when your hair was that length, Sassenach?"

Claire glared at him. "Not by my choice. Though in the summer the short hair was quite nice."

Jamie grinned at her. When Claire had fallen ill some time ago, they had cut off her hair as a way to "help" heal her. They hadn't consulted him before they had done it. Claire was deeply depressed when she woke up shaved like a convict.

This thought was interrupted by a groan from the woman, whom Jamie just realized wasn't wearing shoes. It didn't seem important, and was likely not. But the absurdity of it all caught his attention anyway.

Dark blue eyes flew open, took in the light -- closed by reflex, and opened again in slits to stare him in the face. "Um…." The woman started, eyes lowering themselves down his body to his kilt. "Jesus. They killed me, this time. Well, I kinda expected it. I didn't expect to be thrust into the care of a _kilted _angel, but really I have no complaints about that."

Claire bit her lip to stifle a laugh.

"Er…" Jamie started. "I…. Ye didna die, lass." Jamie started, awkwardly.

"No." Claire agreed, " you did not die, but that was not the first time you went through the stones, was it?"

The woman stared at Jamie to Claire, dumbfounded. "Y-you k-know? About the stones, I mean?"

"Aye, we do." Said Jamie. He was beginning to get extremely curious.

"Oh…uh…. So you both came through as well then?"

"No." Claire said, checking the pulse in the girl's wrist. The light glinted off of a silver ring on the girl's left ring finger, with a blue sparkle of a sapphire. So the girl knew about the gemstones, then.

"I came through." Said Claire, helping the girl sit up straight. "The first time was painful, but more shocking then that. The second time hurt. The third time it almost killed me."

The girl's eyes were wide. "You came, went back, and then returned?"

Claire nodded. "Yes, is this your… second trip then?"

The woman stared at her feet abruptly, clearly hesitant to say. "N-not exactly." She rubbed her forehead, as though attempted to push the headache out by force.

"It's my fifth."


	2. He Is Dead, Lass

"Your FIFTH!" I said astonished. The third trip had nearly killed me, I couldn't imagine what the forth and fifth was like.

"Err…" The woman started. "Yeah well, I was in a coma for a month the last time, I am actually surprised to be awake now. How long has it been? A day maybe…. I don' know. I couldn't have been too long, I don't smell yet."

Jamie's stiff fingers on his right hand twitched against his thigh. "Nay, lass. You only showed up maybe a quarter of an hour past."

The woman looked thunderstruck. "But…how! I should be DEAD! There is now way I go from a month long coma to waking in fifteen minutes! Stupid stones." She glared at the stone circle in defiance.

I didn't know what to say. I _should _state the obvious that she was lucky to not be comatose, and for the stones to have went easier on her this time. It was unfathomable to me, from m experience for them to have been less menacing a fifth trip, but then again there was much known to me about the blasted things to begin with. Stupid stones, indeed.

"Nevermind then. If I am not dead maybe God has finally decided to go easy on me and got me here in time."

"In time?" Jamie and I said in unison. I started to feel uneasy.

The girl stood up brushing sand and dirt from her knee length black dress, which was rather cute….though completely scandalizing for the time. Good lord, cleavage was bursting from the V-neckline. Jamie had seen it and glanced at me in annoyance. I could feel the thoughts of how woman dressed as harlots in my time radiating from him.

She saw us staring at her dress. I gained a bi of weight and couldn't fit into the one I had left here in. She shrugged. "I'm sure I can find a new dress somewhere. Maybe he's kept some of my dresses in his house, if he's not abandoned it already." She seemed to be looking into the trees as though a house would spring up any minute. I felt a shiver roll down my spin.

"What is your name?" I asked her, extending my hand. "I am Claire Fraser and this is my husband, Jamie."

She took my hand firmly in hers in a quick shakeof greeting. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Vanessa. Vanessa Lynn Smith." She had a slight southern accent that only came out occasionally. Saying her name was one such occasion that brought it out.

She was digging her toes in the sand, while still looking off into the trees. She looked worried about something, that much was clear.

"The article said he'd been arrested. Said he was to be tried, but not when or where. All it said was the year. I hope I didn't come to late."

Jamie was clearly getting agitated, there was something apprehensive in the air. I didn't want to ask it, neither did he. But I knew one of us needed to. "Who got arrested?" While asking, I cuold see the article from January 21, 1776 stating that our house had been burnt to the ground with us within it. That date had come and past, the fire in question put out before much damage could be made. It was quitean anticlimaxfrom the hype given to it. Whether or no the date was merely wrong, along with a few details, the date had come and gone…. Prevented possibly by interference by Brianna and Roger who had come to warn us.

"Stephen." Vanessa said quietly, almost to herself. "Stephen Bonnet."

Jamie cursed under his breath in Gaelic, and I bit my lip. Vanessa stared at each of in turn, as though one of us could tell her something, anything, regarding the fate of the man. Jamie looked disbelieving that anyone would come_looking_ for the man, but apparently my face was an open book once again. She looked at me, and paled considerably.

"No." She said almost a whisper. "He c-can't be dead yet. He CAN'T!"

Jamie looked at me aghast. "Well, see now Vanessa… Bonnet was arrested and tried for piracy…"

"…I bloody know he was a damned pirate. Once a pirate, always a god damned pirate! UGH! The fucking idiotic, stupid, blasted MAN!"

I had kneeled down beside her hoping that I could comfort her in some way. Jamie didn't help the matter now, however. Considering what Bonnet did to Brianna, there was no blaming him for it.

"The man was a rapist, lass! He was a thief and an no good son of a whore! They tried him fairly and sentenced him to drowning."

"Th-they DROWNED him!" She shrieked, and then burst into tears. "Oh my God. How could they…he was terrified of being drowned. Absolutely terrified."

I put my arm on her shoulder and she turned and clung to me sobbing.

Jamie sighed, though still agitated. "Well my daughter shot him when the water reached his neck. So he didna really drown, but aye, Stephen Bonnet is dead."

The sobs increased.


	3. Absolutely Absurd

Back in the inn they were staying at in Edenton, Jamie downed a glass of whiskey. She had to be joking. Stephen Bonnet? She came to be with the _same _Stephen Bonnet that had rapped his daughter, robbed them, held a knife to his wife's throat, and allowed a servant to beat his daughter with a wooden spoon to silence her enough to sell her in an auction to a brothel no doubt. The woman was _clearly _depraved.

Claire had argued with him after they put her in Ian's room where she continued to weep until shortly falling asleep on the pillow. _Ian_ probably wouldn't argue about keeping an eye on her…probably.

Claire believed that he was wrongly judging the lass who seemed innocent enough, and possibly knew a different side of Bonnet. Or, as she so quickly rebuked herself, Vanessa could be one of those women who are drawn to bad men, and even if they were beat by then, they couldn't leave them.

Jamie's own curiosity was getting the best of him though, and he agreed that they would keep her with them long enough to get to the bottom of things, fulfill Claire's curiosity regarding the stones, and then see her on her merry way where ever she may possibly go.

It had been a few hours, and Vanessa was dead asleep having exhausted herself crying over Bonnet. Claire and Jamie were downstairs eating dinner when she came down. She had brought enough coins from the time period with her that they were able to buy her a new gown. It was plain blue homespun, but it made the dark blue of her eyes stand out beautifully. Like Claire and Brianna, she had refused to wear a decent cap and people were looking at her with curiosity and bafflement. What was it with women from the future?

Vanessa sat down across from them staring longingly at the bread. Claire offered her some bread and pork which Vanessa took delightfully. She seemed to be calm now. Perhaps _too_ calm.

Ian came bounding in with Rollo -- who got disapproving stares on the way in -- and he sat down next to Vanessa, giving her a brief look over before filling his plate. "We have company, Uncle?"

"She's like Bree and I." Claire said absently. Ian froze, head turning towards Vanessa with a slow, calculating gaze.

Vanessa looked back, not remotely amused.

"Okay." Jamie said, putting his fork down. "Now, ye are going to explain yourself and your presence here, and what in God's name made you want to come see Bonnet."

"Bonnet!" Ian exclaimed, causing heads to turn.

"Sssh." Vanessa hissed through her teeth. The glared at Jamie. "There is no reason why I should have to _explain _myself to anyone. "

Jamie smirked, and replied flatly. "Well, lass. No, ye dinna have to. But if you think we are just going to let ye go possibly take revenge for his death and causing trouble on his behalf, ye better assure us verra convincingly that ye aren't going to be up to nay good."

Vanessa pursed her lips and then glared. Mimicking his accent she replied tartly "Well, aye. I guess I had better do that then, sir. Would never dream as to sae much think to be up to nay good." Seeing Ian suppress a giggle out of the corner of her eye, she was encouraged to continue. "I will love to tell ye everything, but not with sae many people close by to listen. Wouldn't want them to here talk of where I am from without thinking me a common loon."

Jamie stared at the ceiling wishing for divine interference. The Bonnet he knew would have knocked the lass into a wall for such insolence, and he had to control himself not to say so. Ian looked as though he were going to choke on a suppressed giggle which he hiccupped away hastily after being given a most menacing look. Claire was staring at Vanessa in fascination. Clearly wondering how she could have gone through the stones five times, and if she knew anything else of value about the stones.

Vanessa sighed and supported her chin on her fists, using the table as support. "When did it happen? I need to know, at least. And was he….was he buried?"

As far as Jamie knew, Bonnet was buried. In Cape Fear, when Bonnet was executed, Roger Mac had gone to the soldiers and insisted that Bonnet be given proper burial even though he really had not wanted to. It was uncommon, usually they just let the water take the corpse, the fish and wee crabs usually got the most of it while it was underwater anyway. But Brianna on a streak of mercy would not allow him to be taken by the sea. She said she promised not to let the sea take him, so if the corpse was still secured to the post, than he was to be buried. No one had ever gone to confirm it or not.

"I dinna ken, lass." Jamie said. "He was meant to be buried if the sea didn't take him, but we didn't stay to find out. He died July 10, 1776."

"What day is it now?" She asked, lips trembling.

"September 19, 1776." Jamie remarked quietly.

Vanessa gave a quiet chuckle. "Today's my birthday. And the only thing that actually matters has been taken from me."

Claire was feeling sympathetic towards her, possibly from already missing Brianna, or just because she was so caring. Jamie stared at his wife for a long moment. What would she have done, if she had come back thinking she might make it in time to find him still alive, and he had been dead. He didn't want to think of it.

Claire reached out a hand and placed it on her arm gently. "I'm so sorry, Vanessa. There really isn't anything you could have done, even if he was still a prisoner awaiting his sentence. They might not have let you see him anyway, until he was publicly executed. And even then you would not have been able to do much before the soldiers dragged you off fearing you'd untie him."

Vanessa nodded in understanding, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I know that. But at least he would have seen me there for him. He made me leave. Made me abandon him. And when his nightmare faced him, I was not there pray for him, or be the last face he saw before he left, knowing someone loved him. That someone had cared."

Jamie saw Ian sneer at his plate in disgust. His sentiments exactly.

Claire sighed, "Well actually, someone was there for him. Though probably not as reassuring as you may have been."

Vanessa gapped at her, but Claire continued. "My daughter, Brianna, she…um…well…. Stephen Bonnet raped her, and later on she was abducted and he was to transport her away, and on the ship he had a nightmare about drowning, in which Bree gave him her word she would not let him drown. So when the tide had risen, Roger, her husband rowed her out to him. She told me that he smiled and said he knew she'd come, and then she told him to 'go with God' and shot him point blank through the ear."

Vanessa squeezed her eyes tightly closed as to block the imagery of it out of her head. Then her eyes flew open. "Wait. Brianna…Fraser…YOU! He told me about you…and her." Heads were turning.

"Ye was here when he had her?" Jamie hissed low enough that no one among them four could hear him.

"I came the second time, after he had already …well he confessed it to me, you see. I did yell at him for it, he kinda ignored me, but I did." She pleaded. "He stole the jewels from you because the only thing we knew about the jewels was that they helped, somewhat in the passage. He was going to come after me. Though they got stolen before he could, and then I showed up again so he didn't search them out again. Right away, anyway"

"But, you said he sent you back through." Claire said, the crowd had lost interest when Vanessa appeared to be calm.

"Uh uh. That was the second time I went back, err... the forth trip, the one that left me comatose. The first time I went back to my time was an accident, on Ocracoke island. He had built a house there for us, and we were out watching the horses run and completely acting fools ourselves, running and laughing, and well…" She took a deep breath. "He had been chasing me, and I was hiding. When he found me he pounced, and we had both rolled down into the stone circle. He lost his hold of me, and I rolled a few more feet into the stones… and back to my time."

Jamie, Ian, and Claire sat frozen. The harsh abruptness of her departure seemed to cut through them all….until they remembered the other party in the story and all three of them collectively relaxed. Bonnet? Running and laughing? Playing like a wee lad courting? It was absurd.

Vanessa sighed. "I was lucky he had already given me this ring." She said looking at it. Claire started noticeably, looking at it. No, not merely the ring but it's position on her hand.

"Vanessa…. Were you and Bonnet…engaged?" Ian's eyes widened as he looked at the girl next to him.

"Mmf." Vanessa huffed. She rubbed her forefinger of her right hand over the sapphire. "No, we were not engaged. We were already married."


	4. Ghosts

"Married? Stephen Bonnet was bloody MARRIED? Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!" I was laying cuddled up next to Jamie, staring at the ceiling. Vanessa was next door in Ian's room, where he and Rollo slept on pallet in the floor near the door to prevent any contemplations of escape by our wayward Mrs. Stephen Bonnet.

"It was a shock to be sure, Sassenach. I would have never seen that one coming." Jamie drew her in closer to him.

The three of them had stared at Vanessa as though she had grown a third eye while in front of them.

It was a well kept secret, their marriage. Only so many men knew the truth of it, no one was alive that had witnessed the actual ceremony. Bonnet, in his gallant -- if you would call it that --attempt to protect her if he was ever captured, had convinced her never to publicly announce herself as Mrs. Bonnet, as she would only endanger herself of being captured as blackmail or bate.

After this bit of revealed and completely shocking information was revealed she had scampered off to bed, promising to tell us more once we hit the road back to Fraser's Ridge, where Jamie had decided to take her until he could decide what to do with her. He promised he would send word on whether or not there was indeed a grave for Bonnet, and if he could locate it let her see it. But first, he was going home.

* * *

The next morning, Vanessa woke feeling eyes burning holes into her back. Turning she saw Ian and the dog -- who might possibly be a wolf -- both sitting against the door watching her.

They seemed wary, and it made her uneasy, and slightly shy.

"Do ye ken you canna stay still for long before you move about again while ye sleep?" He asked. The tattoos -- which appeared to be some Indian tribal pattern -- stood out in the light from the window.

"Yeah, I've been told I move every few minutes. I have always been like that."

Ian's mouth twitched a little at that. He still looked wary.

"Why are you watching me like that?"

"Do ye believe in ghosts, _A nighean_?"

Vanessa felt the hair on he back of her neck raise on end. "Maybe. I have heard stories, but never seen one myself, to tell you the truth."

Ian nodded. "Well then, lass… I don't know exactly how to tell ye this, but ye had one standing over ye all night long.

She felt the blood drain from her face. "W-what? Did ye see it?" She sounded like a little girl and was slightly annoyed by it.

"Aye, I did. Rollo saw it first though. I was sleeping like a log before yon dog here started whining and backed into my ribs with his bony, big feet. So I open my eyes and was about to tell him where he can shove that whine, when I saw what had upset him. I put my hand out to touch Rollo, to let him know I ken what he saw, and he stopped whining but got real close to me, never letting his eyes stray."

Vanessa had heard about dogs sensing presences before, but usually they don't stay calm near one, they freak the hell out.

"At first I didna recognize who it was, as it was just a pale whiteness… at first. Then he seemed more solid."

"Stephen?"

"Aye, lass." I've only seen him a few times, but it was him alright. He was standing over ye, staring. At one point he reached out, as though he meant to touch ye. Rollo felt me tense and growled at him…it. And it looked at us. I nearly pissed myself, when he did. His eyes were the only thing that appeared to be remotely alive. Vivid green in the moonlight, it was unnerving. And his hand still suspended over ye. His fingers would have touched ye if he moved slightly, but he dinna. Instead he put both hands over his face, in despair. If he wept, I dinna hear. But after awhile he put his hands down and watched ye, until the sun began to rise. Then he took another glance at me and Rollo, turned to walk away and vanished."

Vanessa managed to keep a straight face through his anecdote, then looked to the spot he had indicated Stephen's ghost to have stood, and she lost it. The tears burst forth against her control. If she didn't stop crying soon she was going to look like she'd been hit by a truck.

Ian leaped to his feet and before she could comprehend what he was about, he sat on the bed next to her and had his arms around her. She clung to him and let the grief out…again. He was murmuring something to her in Gaelic, but she didn't understand the words.

He pulled back away from her a bit and looked at her. The shift she wore had slightly long sleeves and she used one to wipe her nose on. "I'm s-sorry. I don't mean to be such a baby." She sniffed.

Ian's lip twitched again. "Dinna fash yourself. You had lost the man ye love, so you grieve, it's natural. Granted it is still hard to believe that Stephen Bonnet had a wife, and ye say he treated ye kind like… I dinna really believe ye, until I saw the look on his face. I dinna ken much more than what Uncle Jamie and all them had told me, but I wager if any of them had seen what I had, they would be…well they would be a shocked as I am, but they would be less inclined to doubt ye."

* * *

She didn't come down to breakfast, but Ian recounted the situation with the ghost to Auntie Claire and Uncle Jamie anyway. "Christ" Jamie said when Ian had finished.

"Stephen Bonnet? Grieving? Bloody, Bloody fucking hell…think we should tell her about his left testicle?"

Jamie choked on a biscuit. "Ye might want to wait till the lass stops crying so much first."

And so they loaded up the horses and set off for Fraser's Ridge.


	5. Runes

**Oslo, Norway**

**February 1993**

Vanessa was beginning to get a bit scared. She wandered off the path a bit because she thought she saw a bunny, but never found it. The tour group had moved on. Everything was frozen, and the fjordglowed a menacing pale blue at her. Despite her frustration she had to admit the Norwegian fjord was gorgeous.

Her mother would never forgive her if she got herself lost in Norway. Fresh out of high school, Vanessa had saved money enough for a trip to Scandinavia. She could see the Viking long ships in her head every time she looked out at the Norwegian Sea. But now, this instant she was standing beside a frozen fjord and one tour group short of civilization. And it was cold.

They had come from Oslo, in a bus towards the mountains and hiked some ways in. Where she was exactly, she had no clue. But to get back to Oslo, on foot, and if she knew where to go, would take perhaps a day or two. Depending on conditions and the mountains.

Vanessa saw a little cavern up ahead, and made for it. It looked like a good enough spot to shade herself from the freezing wind. Her jeans were frozen stiff to her legs, and her sweater beneath the ski jacket felt like it had fallen into the fjord, froze itself, and then plastered itself to her.

She was eighteen years old, and she can't even keep up with a tour group headed back to the bus to go back down the mountain. Vanessa wondered how long it would take for them to realize she wasn't there. She really was pretty shy, and didn't really talk to anyone there with her. They might not even notice.

With a sigh, Vanessa hopped up on the flat rock before the cavern. At first she thought it was empty, but then she heard the hum. _Do bees live in Norway? If so…in caves? _Disgruntled, she stepped a few steps in and the humming got louder, almost like a roar. She pulled the mini flashlight out of her coat pocket hastily. Shinning it on the cavern wall in front of her she discovered runes. Lots and lots of ancient frickin' runes.

Vanessa felt her heart skip a beat. She had a slight obsession with the Vikings and their mythology, and she loved to decipher the runes. And she could….well, just a little. She learned the entire Elder Futhark when she was sixteen. Leaning forward she tried to decipher these, trying to grasp the little bit she knew in Old Norse. Not much, but she could distinguish the lettering.

Which was not exactly making coherent sense.

She felt giddy at the thought that these runes were here more for magical purposes instead of literary. Maybe they were there to ward off trespassers.

Or maybe they are what was causing that annoying loud noise. At least an explanation.

The cave was not big at all, it opened into a decently large circular cavern, that was visible from the outside, and had no further antechambers that Vanessa could see.

She could not resist; Vanessa went into the circle.

There were large rock pillars, five in total in a circle within the cavern. The runes covered them as well. Getting closer to the larger pillar, she realized where the noise was coming from. The rock.

Leaning in closer to examine it, the noise got louder. She trained her flashlight on the rock surface and held out a finger to trace the out line of one rune -- _Uruz, _an angular, upside down _U. Pierces the veil between worlds_. Beside it was _Dagaz_, the catalyst, shaped like a sideways, angular hourglass.

When her finger touched however, her last coherent thought was focused on the rune at the top of the stone: Nauthiz. Shaped like an italicized _X. _The rune of restraint, meant to keep one from leaving… Or entering.

There was a pulling sensation and a wave of a burning pain.

And then nothing.


	6. Some Time New

**Norway**

**1763**

She awoke to find a tall woman with red hair staring at her. She started, which caused the woman to jump in reflex.

Vanessa rubbed her had, and then her ears which for some reason burned. Her earrings were gone. They were gold and each contained a tiny diamond. _Did this redheaded chick have them? Why is she wearing that hideous dress._ It looked burlap.

"Uh…." Vanessa said as a response to the woman who was speaking to her in a Scandinavian tongue. Vanessa could only dream she could reply in the same dialect. "Are you with the fjord tour people, because I didn't mean to get lost. I know I am supposed to stay in the same spot, but I was really cold and the cave was shelter…" She realized that they were in the entrance of the cave instead of within it, did this chick pull her over here and steal her earrings. They _so_ would not go with that outfit.

"Oh… you speak English?" She said with a accent.

Vanessa settled with just a nod.

"Oh well, I am Anya. I am the keeper of the stones, are you okay? What did you use for passage?" Anya stared at her with interest.

"Um…." Vanessa was slow at comprehending. _Passage? Stones? Am I stoned? What did I use? Haha…what DID I use?_ "I'm sorry…. What now?"

Anya was glancing her over with wide brown eyes, taking in the jeans, purple sweater and cream colored ski jacket. "What year did you come from, _Elskling_?"

_Did she just call me sweetheart? _"What year…indeed." Seeing the burlap-y dress…maybe wool…she couldn't resist, "What year are _you_ from?"

Anya smiled, "Oh, yes. You would be wanting to know that. It is February of the year 1763."

Vanessa giggled. "Oooooookay…. I fell and bumped my head after being slipped some kind of narcotic and now I am dreaming." Anya was regarding her with a look that _clearly_ stated "Oh you just wait, honey."

"Wow…it is really freaking cold in my dream…. I don't remember there being this many trees before….."

"You wouldn't." Anya came to stand beside her. "You came through the stones, and now you are here before your time by the looks of it. I had heard that sometimes women come, wearing strange….jeans they call them. Blue and thick, but not cotton or wool."

Vanessa's mouth opened and snapped shut again.

Anya laughed. "We _could_ waste time while you deny that you are no longer in…. what year did you say?"

"I didn't."

Anya blinked at her, innocently.

"1993."

"Ooooooh!" Anya cooed. "What is it like there?"

"Er…. Less cold."

"Oh sorry, come with me _Elskling_, and I will get you warm, fed, and properly dressed."

Vanessa pulled her ski jacket around her tightly. She really wished the chick would stop calling her sweetheart. At least she spoke English.


	7. Keepers of the Stones

There was five old women and about six younger ones, two of which were pregnant. Anya made a twelfth member of this little coven, which had to be what it was. Vanessa wished she had worn her cross necklace. Not being uber-religious herself, the cross would have made her feel better anyway.

It had taken about two or three hours to walk to this little cabin in the mountains. The women all exclaimed excitedly in her appearance. The older women knew English fairly well, the younger ones, knew fewer words. Anya said they had to learn multiple languages before they take their post as the keeper of the stones. Vanessa wanted to ask what she was going on about again, but she needed to use the bathroom, and eat before anything.

The women pulled her out a gray wool dress -- so it _was _some kind of wool and not burlap -- they told her to put that on, over a thinner cotton shift, with little leather slippers. She figured she should let them be humored enough to feed her and take her back to Oslo, if anything else.

They took her into an extra room and showed her the chamber pot. _You have GOT to be kidding._ She changed, but skipped the stays altogether because she didn't want to call anyone to squeeze the life out of her helping her get them on. After having seeing there really was not a bathroom, Vanessa surrendered her bladder to the chamber pot.

They fed her some kind of stew, Vanessa was not quite sure what was in it meat wise. It was hot and it was food, so she ate it with no abandon.

After she was fed and in the current fashion, she was sat down in a circle of them where they asked her about her time, and how she came to the stone circle.

Vanessa told them about America in the 1990s and how Oslo was in her time. The women listened with awe. She told them how she had gotten lost being curious, and the women tsked at that. They got excited to know Vanessa could name the runes, if not interpret a great deal of them.

"If you recognized _Nauthiz_, and it's meaning on the stone, why did you go through it anyway?" One of the younger women, named Krista, asked.

"I already had touched it before it occurred to me what it meant, and by that time I had been sucked in already."

Anya nodded as though, that was expected. "And then what, _Elskling_, what did the stones sound like?"

"What did they…. You mean you can't hear them?" Vanessa asked, the thought only just occurring to her.

All the women shook their heads. "It is part of the position." An older woman stated, Vanessa could not recall her name.

"As…keeper of the stones, you said?" Vanessa asked.

The old lady nodded. "We are a secret order. As were our mother's before us. The stones have been here for as long as we have known, but we do not know when they first got there. Or when the runes got carved into them. There have been people every now and then who come through, and we are there to help them adapt."

"Adapt?" Vanessa asked.

"There was this one woman," The old woman continued, "Before the first of the keepers decided to take their post. She came through wearing similar clothing as you did. She called them…jeans, I believe that is what she called them." Seeing Vanessa nod, she began again. "She hiked her way out of the mountains, into a village. This was the time of the Norsemen…"

"Vikings!" Vanessa said excitedly.

"Yes." The lady continued. "Vikings. They saw her garments and knew not what to make of her. She asked if they were on a set of some kind, what ever that is, and the men began after a while to think her quite mad. The women in the group, one of which was a Saxon prisoner who was later married to one of the men, and who knew the girl's language."

The lady took a pause and drank from goblet near by. "The Saxon understood the words she was saying, about a cave and singing stones. But she wasn't making sense of it. So the Saxon asked her husband, if he could accompany herself, the strange woman, and a few of the other wives who took interest in the poor girl to this cave. He obliged. When they got there, the girl would not go in, complaining that the stones would get her, and 'can you hear them? Can you hear the stones?' Only one of the women heard it. And upon further exploration, they had gone in, and the one who heard them had vanished."

Vanessa, and the others all listened, not making a noise. The others knew the story of course, but they were into it nonetheless.

"The small exploration party was shocked. They went back and the woman's husband blamed the outsider of murdering his wife. Before the group who saw what had happened could prevent them, they cut her head off. The other women, there was six, grouped together and decided to become the keepers of the stones. Since they couldn't hear the stones, they didn't fear the stone would take them. And their husbands would let them keep watch out for their woman who disappeared, or any new people who came through."

"And did anymore come through?" Vanessa asked, her hands had been clutching her neck since hearing the poor other woman's unfortunate death.

Anya took up from there. "Oh, of course. There hasn't been any more since any of us have been alive unfortunately. Before Marta's time as a keeper," she indicating the old woman who had told the tale, "there had been a few, some of which died during their journey. Another came through exclaiming that it had worked, the gemstones were the key."

"Gemstones?" Vanessa's hands went to her ears, where her absent diamonds had been.

"Gemstones." Agreed Marta. "The woman had been a witch, and confessed it to us freely. She had studied the carvings on the stones many of times, and read about previous attempts in other parts of the world. None of us could figure out the meanings the runes has said. There was something about colored stones, so I guess she meant that. Did you wear gemstones coming through?"

"I had diamonds. Earrings. They disappeared." Vanessa confessed.

Some of the women muttered to each other in Scandinavian. Anya grinned. "She said sometimes the gems don't make it through, if they are weak. You are lucky that you made it through when your gems did not." This was agreed upon by the others.

Marta silenced them all again. "Well, since you are in this time and your gems are gone, we wouldn't send you back through thinking you could not make it. You can't speak Norwegian, but you do speak English. Would you like to go to England, or maybe the colonies?"

"Well I am from Savannah, so I guess the colonies." Vanessa loved the Vikings and all, but she loved her throat a bit more and felt being far away from Norway may be best.

Marta grinned. "In the morning we will ride back to Oslo. From there, we will buy you passage to the Colonies. It has been wonderful to meet with you, try to adapt, and do not tell another soul about the way you got here. Tell them your parents died of some ague."

"Um…okay." Vanessa felt a bit uneasy, but the cot they gave her engulfed her into sleep before she could think on it any more.


	8. Persephone

The ship was called the _Persephone_. Vanessa thought the name was convenient. She felt as though she were just a helpless maid and this ship was the chariot that would steal her away into hell. And here comes Hades, or the captain, now.

If she didn't already feel like she was a prime steak at a butcher's shop, Captain Bonnet would have made her feel like she was one. His eyes burned into her; two emeralds of flame. He required to inspect every piece of cargo or passenger that boards his ship, which Vanessa understood and all. But damn. If looks could singe.

He was tall. And muscular; his chest was broad and he had a big frame, but there was no fat on the man. He had shoulder length sandy blonde hair tied in the back with a little strip of leather. His nose was a bit crooked, so he had had it broken more than once maybe. He was dressed a bit better than the majority of the men on the docks, but that was probably due to the fact he was a captain.

He had circled around her, and all the while she pulled her cloak tightly around her as though it were a shield. He stopped a mere two feet in front of her. She was only eye level with his nipples, so she found herself looking up at him. Gaze unwavering. And then he spoke. He was an Irishman.

Vanessa felt her blood get a bit heated. Accents were her weakness, and considering she was not in the 1990s anymore, when you could safely return interested looks, she cut the thought off before it could manifest in anyway. While Anya and her husband had accompanied her to the docks and paid her fare, she was traveling alone. Anything that might make the captain think she was interested in him might cause him to take advantage of her, and fast. She hadn't clung to her virginity this long just to throw it away because the man has an Irish lilt.

"She doesn't have _any _escort with her, ye said?" He had asked Anya's husband, Sid. But his eyes stayed fixed on her.

"No, sir. Her parents died of an ague few weeks past. She wishes to return to the colonies to find her relatives."

"Aye." Bonnet said, "It is a cargo ship. There is a few holds, one for the cargo , one for the passengers. There isn't any single cabins on board --'cept my own." He added with a mischievous glint in his eye."

"That's fine. I'm not allergic to people, Captain Bonnet." Vanessa immediately bit her tongue; good Lord she needed to watch herself.

Bonnet looked amused, however. "What did you say your name was ma'am?"

Again, she hadn't, but what's the use in arguing. "Vanessa Lynn Smith,…sir." She added as an after thought. She extended her hand. His eyes flicked to it and then back to her face. He smiled, and it chilled her blood.

"Well, then. Welcome to the _Persephone_, darlin'." He took her hand, kissed it, and walked away without a further word or glance.

With a hug with Anya and a curtsey to Sid, Vanessa took herself and all she possessed…what she was wearing, and the pouch of coins she had hidden in a pocket in her shift.… and walked up the boarding plank to the ship.


	9. Brief Intermission

**North Carolina**

**1776**

As far as she has said of Bonnet himself, it sounded like the same Stephen Bonnet. But what the hell was he doing in Oslo, Norway. Vanessa was riding the on a horse with Ian in front of her. We were going to have to stop for lunch soon, and she would continue her story then. Her voice was starting to go hoarse though from talking, and so I told her to let it rest a bit.

A cave in Norway, and a coven of sorts that keeps and eye one it. It was bloody fascinating! Even though the keepers of the stones didn't know much more about them than I myself did, I wish I knew everything those runes translated to. Jamie and Ian were both fascinated with the story, but the skepticism was visible on their faces.

I had watched her face during the telling of her first meeting with Stephen Bonnet. There was a look of longing and loss in it, but it was obvious she had doubted him in the beginning and was very smartly wary of him. That was at least something, she wasn't a complete idiot then. But perhaps she knew a side of him no one else had seen. The vulnerable side Bree had glimpsed when he woke up from the nightmare.

We rode for another hour or so in silence before we stopped. Every one scattered into the bushes to do our business and came back where the men took the horses to graze and Vanessa and I went about getting lunch made. It was simply cheese, bread, some fruit and some whiskey, but food .

The image of Bonnet's ghost standing over her last night was still with me, though I didn't see it myself. It made one wonder, really.

I was glad when Jamie and Ian came back and we sat down and ate. Jamie decided it would be best for us to get moving again soon, but he too wanted to know a bit more of the story.

And so Vanessa obliged us, and began her tale of her passage with Stephen Bonnet on the _Persephone_.


	10. She Doesn't Belong

**The North Sea**

**1763**

Stephen Bonnet leaned back against the railing and watched her as she went by, oblivious to his presence. They had been out to see for two days, and she hadn't even given him another glance. She kept to herself, not very sociable to the other passengers. Yet the male passengers, and the crew, all took notice of her.

There was something about her. She was a cute little thing, short and a good average size and build. She wasn't skin and bones, but she had some nice padding in all the right places. Her breasts were large enough that they'd fit perfectly into his palms. And would you look at that arse…

Vanessa was standing by the rail, looking out at the ocean. She was perhaps fifteen feet away from him, but she didn't pay him any mind. She stared at the ocean with such a longing to be elsewhere, that it daunted him. There was just _something_ about her.

He watched her sandy blonde hair, curled and slightly tangled with lack of being combed, catch with the breeze. She looked slightly exotic, yet she was fairly plain; pretty, but not the exquisite beauty that normally would turn a head. And still, she didn't belong here. Not on his ship, not in this region, perhaps not even in this time -- but that is ridiculous.

He could have her easily. All he would have to do fetch her himself, and she would be his. So why didn't he?

The night they took sail he had slept easily, as always. Then the following day, he began to take notice of her; but she didn't even glance his way once. And so it began to mess with him. It tugged at his mind from time to time, why won't the girl at least _look_ at him? He hadn't slept at all last night.

He knew he was attractive, his size caused women to look. His eyes and charm usually got a bit more, and the most _she_ had given to him was a wisecrack insolent remark. Usually, he would have backhanded the woman. Yet, for some reason she had this air around her that made it seem dangerous, almost, to lay a hand on her.

Now that's stupid. Stephen Bonnet _was_ danger. Well he is to know it, and it would be just as well she did too. Maybe that was it; she senses the danger and has shied away from it. Advancing on her could scare her more and make her skittish, or it could bring out a wildcat.

Bonnet shifted his stance to accommodate for the extra weight that had accumliated in the front of his breeks. What the hell was he going to do about her? Well, he knew what he _should_ do. It might possibly stop these thoughts about her if he just bedded the wench.

He was getting increasingly uncomfortable, the blood was leaving his head and collecting elsewhere. It is not like he has _never_ just grabbed a woman and took her to his cabin to eliminate this very problem, so whywas he still standing here?

_Look at me, darlin'_. He willed her with his mind. _Just turn your head to the right and look a me, damn you._ But she continued to stare at the ocean.

Irritated Bonnet finally could not take it any longer and was just taking his first step towards her when she turned to the left and walked off. He froze. _What in the hell! _He stared holes into her back as she walked off and into the cargo hold the passengers were using as a cabin.

The crew members who were walking towards him at that moment, turned tail and made off the other way upon hearing the bear-like growl of frustration that he made.

As he was about to go into the cargo hold after the blasted woman and take her anyway, a shout bellowed "Man Overboard!"

Cursing, Bonnet went to see what the hell was happening on his retched ship.


	11. In Which Bonnet Gets Vanessa Alone

Vanessa walked into the cargo hold being used for the passengers. It was a small ship, but big in it's own rights. She had a pallet in the corner and was about to go lay down for a nap when she heard someone exclaim "Man Overboard!"

The people in the hold all swarmed out again, and considering this was the most excitement to have happened in the last two days, she followed after.

The crowd was at the back of the ship, everyone trying to see what was happening and speculating to each other what had occurred. She could make out the wide shouldered frame of Captain Bonnet at the front of the crowd, looking over the side and talking to his first mate.

Just then, Bonnet walked into the crowd grabbed a man from it and shoved his way back up to the front. Here, he preceded to throw him over the railing. The crowd gasped collectively, herself included. Bonnet's voice then bellowed out "All right with you all, ye want to be funny and throw people overboard if they annoy you? Well don't think ye won't follow suit after them. Move along then." He made a gesture for everyone to move along and the crowd dispersed.

As Vanessa turned to go back to the hold, not feeling the least bit tired anymore, a hand came down on her shoulder. She spun around to came to be face to face with…a chest wearing a loose fitting white shirt. Looking up she found the chest belonged to Captain Bonnet.

"Uh…" she began, but she was already turned back around and was being pushed by his hand on her lower back down the deckand right past the cargo hold. "Whoa…WHOA!" She jumped out of his grip. "I didn't push anyone overboard so don't be thinking about tossing me in the water. Jesus. What the hell, dude?"

"Dude?" Bonnet asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Um…yeah, a word for someone of the male gender." She waved a hand in dismissal. "What the hell are you doing?"

Bonnet scratched the back of his head, regarding her with interest. There were a few people standing by watching them, expecting him to toss her overboard apparently. He glared at them in turn and they meandered away. He then focused back on her. "I wasn't plannin' on tossin' ye in the ocean, sweetheart."

He seemed to be amused with her. Well that was just great for him, because she wasn't amused at all. She could feel the cramps coming on, announcing her period would be here anytime within the hour or perhaps the next day. She only had the one dress, and what the hell did women use as tampons on ain this time periodanyway?

"Oh, well that's good. I'm not exactly wanting to swim right now." And she wasn't; the sharks would smell her and be on her in an instant. "Now, if you would excuse me,…Captain." Wit a brief curtsey, she made to pass him, but his arm shot out in front of her to block her escape.

"Now wait just a moment there, darlin'. You don't want to be causin' yer captain to dine alone tonight, now would ye?"

"Dine alo… are you asking me to eat dinner with you?" Vanessa shot him a speculative look. She had been purposely ignoring him and refusing to acknowledge his presence to discourage him attempting to get her alone, and damned if he wouldn't pull it anyway.

"Well, aye, that's the gist of it sweetheart. I've managed to get a few hours to myself tonight, and it would be a shame if I spent them entirely by meself." He was studying her reaction carefully, his arm still in her way. She had the feeling if she spun on her heel to retreat the other way he'd have a grip on her arm in an instant.

"It generally doesn't take a _hours_ to eat a meal, sir. Now if you'd just let me…"

He laughed. "No, darlin' it does not take that long to eat. You are something clever, ye are. Now be a good girl and go get yourself cleaned up." He winked at her and moved his arm as he went to leave, and then had the gall to smack her on the butt as he passed.

Vanessa stood there, still as a stone with her cheeks flaming. The _nerve_ of that man. See if she showed up at all. He's going to have a nice solitary meal, he was.

* * *

As it was, Vanessa did not make any move to make herself more presentable, considering she was wearing everything she owned and lacked a comb, and because she was _not_ going to his cabin whether she had actually wanted to... which she had not. 

She was completely content in her stubborn pride, when two men came in and each grabbed one of her arms and forcefully dragged her out of the cargo hold in front of everyone's gapping -mouthed faces.

She kicked at them, and eventually got one in the shin, which only caused him to twist her arm painfully in response. She cursed them out in so many ways that she wasn't sure if their redness was due to annoyance, her weight, or shock. And when they got her to the door way of Captain Bonnet's cabin, she managed to stick her legs out enough that her feet pushed against the doorframe and prevented them from shoving her inside of it.

Stephen Bonnet was sitting in a chair at a small table against the cabin wall, face resting in his palm watching all of this. His face was a blank, revealing neither amusement nor agitation.

One of the goons holding her rasped, "She's a feisty one, here, Capt'n. If she remains like this, you could take her and be done with it pretty fast like, what with her legs spread for ye already."

Vanessa replied with a statement fit to make a sailor blush, which he and his comrade did. Bonnet just chuckled.

Bonnet stood up and came towards the doorframe, looking like he entirely was going to take advantage of her out stretched position.Vanessa promptly flung her legs together before he could reach her. The only problem in this, was that she was pushing backwards as the sailors were pushing her forward. The three of them crashed into a heap on the floor at Bonnet's feet with disgruntled "Ooofs."

"Get the hell of me, you…..you smelly…FIENDS!" She could feel the corniness of the statement make her blush, yet the two sailors hurried to their feet and were out the door within five seconds.

She made it to a sittng position on her knees before he reached down and grasped her elbow to raise her to her feet. "Now, now, sweetheart. I know you weren't planning to miss dinner tonight, were ye."

Vanessa glared at him. "If you must know, yes. I was _indeed_ planning on missing dinner tonight, thank you very much." She retched her elbow away from him.

His eyes clouded dangerously, and Vanessa began to have a feeling he would strike her if she continued to bate him. It wasn't her time period, and women were not inclined to be acknowledged of _having_ opinions yet. She should learn to remember that, but she had grown up with expressing her opinions, and damned if she could refrain from it after eighteen years of doing so.

He didn't hit her, though the air around him was charged with menace. He motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite of where he'd been sitting. Deciding there was really nothing else to do, she took a seat. Bonnet closed the door to the cabin and then sat down across from her. The plates on the table had fish of some kind, with bread and grapes. The amber liquid in the goblets smelled of liquor of some kind, brandy most likely. She grabbed hers and took a large gulp of it. This man was driving her to drink. Damn him.

He was watching her intently again. So Vanessa put the drink down and stared back. He arched a brow, she leered. After this continued on for quite some time, he finally looked down at his plate and began to eat.

Vanessa picked at the bread. She wasn't overly fond of fish, yet she knew there was hardly anything else to eat. She wouldn't eat a grape unless she was starving though. She told him as much when he inquired to her barely touched plate.

She managed to down a third of the fish, and all her bread…and his since he demanded her eat it since she wouldn't touch the fruit. He finished eating and belched loudly. Vanessa felt her facial muscled contort into a scowl. Bonnet chuckled.

"Now that I got you all to myself, darlin', what do ye want to do now?"

She tried to suppress it, she really, truly tried. "Oh, hmm well now let's see. I want to be crowned the Queen of bloody England, and then go ice skating."

He laughed at that. "Aye, when we stop in England we'll rob the palace of it's jewels and crown ye Queen. What's… ice skating, ye said?"

Vanessa opened her mouth to tell him, and snapped it shut again. "Ehhh. Never mind."

He stood up quite suddenly and started to undress. Vanessa's jaw dropped open. "What in God's name are you _doing_?"

Bonnet paused in the act and glanced at her look of shock and amazement. "I'm undressin', sweetheart, you could do the same unless you prefer me to do it." He had a mischievous, hungry glint in his eye.

"Oh my God! You are like a dog!"

That made him straighten up abruptly. "What?" He looked angry, and it was unnerving Vanessa quite a bit. The menacing air around him had gotten thicker.

"Look, You might think 'hey, the girl has no family and no one around who knows her, so hey let me stick it in her and wiggle it around a bit for the hell of it.' For one, I am currently bleeding from my crotch something fierce, with nothing to use to absorb it. This is my only dress and it will be ruined by my own blood in no time. I have cramps from hell eating at my gut, making everything in there feel like they are being squeezed into a ball this big…" She demonstrated with her thumb and forefinger, "And not to mention this is not the first time I have had a guy seem to only want me while I am gushing blood as though they were a dog attracted to he scent of a bitch in heat. There is absolutely no friggin' way I am going to allow anything to be shoved up there when I am in pain quite enough, and not necessarily in want of more." Vanessa had started off nervous, but ended it seething.

Bonnet's gapping jaw snapped shut again. "You … have…. quite a mouth on you for such a tiny girl, darlin'. One day you will say the wrong thing to the wrong man." It didn't need to be said, but was implied, that said man was him.

"I know." Vanessa was sitting with her arms crossed glaring at the table in front of her. "I try to control my tongue, but it just says what it wants to anyway.Stupid tongue."

Bonnet, who had escaped his shirt and was hastily in the act of ridding himself of his breeks, sat back down in front of her.

"I'll let you finish out your monthly flow in peace then, aye, but afterwards…." He paused dramatically enough to cause her to look up and catch the dangerous glint in his eye. "Afterwards, yer mine."

Vanessa's cheeks turned crimson. Surely he didn't intend to rape her? The look in his eye told her that he perhaps would. Great. She is on a ship with a rapist.

"Well that's just… just dandy, that is." She hopped to her feet meaning to flee, only to encounter a locked door. Shit.

"Oh… I almost forgot." His voice caused her to stiffen. "You are movin' into my cabin with me."

"I'm _what_?" Vanessa flung herself around to gawk at him.

"If you have any belongs, they will be fetched in the mornin'."

"I am wearing the only things I own."

"Well then, there is nothin' for ye to worry about. Since you hurt to much to have a little fun, might as well catch up on sleep, aye." He gestured to the bed. "It can't have been too restful in a cargo hold, of all places."

"I can't sleep in here with you! The whole ship will think I've….with you!"

Stephen Bonnet's lips twitched. "It is a good thing that it you fully intend to do just that; don't want to give 'em the wrong idea now."

Vanessa cursed.

Bonnet finished stripping out of his clothes, and was standing next to the bed fully naked. "Come on now, Vanessa, get in the bed."

Vanessa had seen a naked man... once, though briefly. Shecouldn't stop herself from gawking.

"You cannot expect me to get into that bed with you!" She said, appalled.

"See here, darlin'. You are going to get into this bed yourself, or I am going to put you there. Which would you prefer?"

Glaring, she walked over there and sat on the bed. The sheets smelled of him, and of sweet and liquor. They badly needed to be washed. He nudged her towards the side of the bed against the wall, got in after her and pulled her down. With her back pressed against his stomach, she stared at the cabin wall, infuriated.

Unfortunately, she was also sleepy and eventually fell under the dark wave of unconsciousness.


	12. Leroi

Vanessa was having the most pleasant dream. Johnny Depp was there, wearing a kilt for some odd reason. She'd always been fascinated by kilts, soshe didn't mind it much. No need to complain; it _was _Johnny Depp. They were in a field of wildflowers, with the sun beating down warmly upon them. He kissed her, softly at first as though checking that she was really there, and then the kiss grew deeper and hungrier. Her hands intertwined in his hair, letting it spill lose to all it's shoulder-length, dark glory. He pulled her little yellow sundress off of her in no time at all. She moaned aloud as he ran his hands down her sides, her hips, squeezing her buttocks gently before moving over the slope of thighs and up past her naval to her breasts which where heavy with anticipated desire.

Johnny groaned deep in his throat and moved one arm behind her, pushing her toward him gently at the small ofher back. With his free hand, he ran it down softly back past her belly button and to that hidden crevice between her thighs. She was quite ready for him, and was wrapping her legs around his lower torso to let him know just that when she jabbed her knee on a rock.

Not a rock. A wall. The wooden wall of Stephen Bonnet's cabin. Said man was, not only awake and unfortunately present with blonde hair spilled out over his shoulders instead of tied back as she had always seen it, but had one hand against her lower back, and the other was shocked into stillness between her…

"What the hell are you _DOING_!" Vanessa shrieked and sprang off the bed, nearly cracking her head on the low ceiling near there.

Bonnet had regained some of his composure. Apparently he hadn't expected her to wake up in the middle of his molesting her. "Couldn' sleep."

Vanessa's mouth dropped open. Snapped shit again, and she made a few sputtering noises. "Couldn't…couldn't sleep? Oh my fucking God!" She looked around in the moonlight for something to throw at him. His small desk was on the other side of the cabin with pile of gold coins and various pieces of rubbish. To get to it would mean walking past him, which she didn't exactly feel up to doing. She looked at the floor around her and spotted a pair of his better quality shoes, unlike the boots he wore while the ship was sailing, these were actually polished. She picked one up and chucked it at him as hard as she could.

Bonnet was so stunned he hadn't moved, and didn't duck. The shoe smacked him in the face with a soft "thud" before falling to the floor. His face went from bewilderment, to surprise, to red with rage in 3.2 seconds.

He bounded from the bed and reached her in three strides. If she hadn't been in the corner to begin with, even if she did try to run from him he would have caught her. The flat of his palm made a sickening thump when it made contact with the wall an inch from her head, and stayed there. There was blood on his fingers. She was about to exclaim that he had hurt himself by pounding the wall, when she realized that the blood was hers. That was the hand he had used to molest her. She felt sick.

Stephen Bonnet leaned down and glared at her, his face so close that she praised God he'd had no onions for dinner. "What is goin' through thathead of yours, sweetheart?" His face was still contorted with anger, but his voice was normal, if not a slight be huskier than normal.

Vanessa opened her mouth to say something, but his left hand, the one not still causing the barrier next to her face to discourage her from going anywhere -- like she really could, came up and cupped her lower jaw and closed it. He didn't move his hand though.

"You know it is really hard to sleep peacefully when ye have a woman in your bed squirmin' every few seconds as though hell itself were after 'er." He ran the hand down the length of her throat and paused at her breasts. He cupped one roughly. The suddenness of it caused her to uncontrollably grunt and take a deep intake of breath. Jesus, she was standing there naked!

"You sai-"

"Sssh." Bonnet whispered in her ear, leaning in to taste the salt from her neck. She stared at the cabin ceiling in shock, not knowing what to do. It may have been the after affects from her dream (that apparently wasn't all just a dream), or because she was menstruating, but she felt heat coiling back in her abdomen. Traitorous body.

"Stop." It came out a husky whisper. Bonnet had both his hands on her now, they went to her hips and started to lift her up against the wall. She realized belatedly that he had been naked the whole time as well. "Stop!" Vanessa screamed at him and pushed with all her strength and managed to move him about an inch. She stomped on his toes, causing him to back up enough for her raise one leg in between them. Bracing her body against the wall, she kicked him with all she had in her. He staggered back a few feet looking appalled that she had had the nerve to kick him, let alone stop him.

"You _said_ you wouldn't touch me until after my cycle." She said it calmly, but her knees felt a little shaky."

Bonnet rubbed the area of his bare stomach where she had kicked him. "Oh, hush now, darlin'. I ne'er said 'touch' and you best be knowin'it." He smiled at her as though he'd bested her.

Vanessa growled at him, "You gave me your word."

He stared at her for what seemed like forever before he sighed and nodded. He took a rag from the desk and wiped her blood from his hand. It was disconcerting to see. She wondered if had she pissed him of enough that he killed her, if he would go about wipping away her blood in the same fashion.

Vanessa had calmed a bit now, but as she took a step, she lost her footing and fell. Turning, Bonnet stared at her as though he only imagined her sitting bare-assed on the floor of his cabin. The man actually had the nerve to laugh. But not just laugh; full on, guttural guffaws. He was forced to sit on the bed before he fell himself, one hand clutched to his stomach. She wouldn't be surprised if he had tears as well.

"Chuck it up, clown." Vanessa mumbled. "At least down here I don't have to _smell_ you."

He sobered up instantly. "You don't think ye are sleepin' down there, do ye? I'm a bit sorry to inform you that regardless of my smell, ye are stillgettin' in this bed with me, sweetheart."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly contented with the floor, thank you."

Bonnet cursed under his breath. He got up and strolled back to where she was sitting. He roughly grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet. But he couldn't leave it at that; he slung her over his shoulder, where she got a much closer inspection of his bare ass that she had ever wanted to. Vanessa was in too much shock to notice anything other than the numerous fair colored hairs on his buttocks, when he tossed her onto the bed like she weight as much as a feather pillow.

She was still gapping at him when he got in the bed with her for the second time that night. He drew her up against his chest, her hands ended up squashed against his shoulders. She squirmed to get back out of his grasp, but he held on to her tightly, not letting her.

"Do I really smell?"

She ceased her struggles and looked up at his face, even in the pale light from the moon coming in the small window in the cabin, she could see he was sincere. "Yes, you do. Now let me go."

He squeezed her tighter to let her know he wasn't about to be doing that.

"What do I smell like, darlin'?" It was aparent that her comment had bothered him. Good.

"Like sweat , seawater, and brandy." She leaned forward and sniffed him for emphasis. "And piss; eeew."

Bonnet chuckled. "I smell like piss?"

She started squirming again, "Yes you do. Oh GOD. Let me _go_."

"Ye know, sweetheart; squirm all ye like. It only excites Leroi. And though I may have given my word, Leroi thinks on his own."

"Le- who the hell is Leroi?"

He leaned back enough to free one of her hands and guide tit o the erection between his legs where he wrapped her hands around it before saying, "Meet Leroi."

Vanessa gasped and pulled her hand away. "You named your penis?"

"Aye, well he does think on his own. Leroi likes you." As if to add emphasis to this statement, he squeezed her against him again, allowing his erection to lie against her thigh.

"Sweet, _Jesus_!" Vanessa implored the ceiling above her.

* * *

**A/N**:_ Okay, I know what you are thinking if you have made it this far into the story before exclaiming that I've lost my mind and moving on to some nice good Jamie/Claire fic... how the hell is this gonna work? Seem like basically the same Bonnet - if not a bit tamer, but still an ass. Just wait, It'll come together in the end. If you haven't reviewed yet, please do. I would love to hear opinions :) even if it is "I like it so far" "Omg this is retarded" or "I don't see where this is going." Just give me something to let me know someone is reading it besides myself ;)_


	13. Absent Beings

**North Carolina**

**1776**

Ian looked up through the treesat the patches of gray sky that peeked through. It was about to storm, and it was a good five hours before the next town. They were going to have to camp there for the night. Jamie was looking around for a better place to keep out of the storm. They neededto find aplace withlarger trees where the get out of the small clearing they had stopped at.

Glancing back over his shoulder he saw Claire and Vanessa talking together as though they had known each other for quite some time. Auntie Claire always tried to find the good in people. Ian was like his Uncle Jamie: always cautious. Other than his aunt, cousin, and Roger, every other time traveler they stumbled across had some fiendish plot they were working at. Could Vanessa have come back to warn Bonnet of his capture, or help him do some wicked act of…. he couldn't come up with anything vile enough to continue his thought.

Ian sighed. He liked the lass. She was sweet and didn't seem the type to cause trouble. Yet she had married Stephen Bonnet! How could they trust someone who held that wretch in such high regards. _But she didn't always_. Ian kicked a rock while he brooded. _She found him slightly attractive, but technically he _was_ a decent looking man. Yet she thought him digusting. At first. _Ian wondered what could have happened thathad changed that. Smiling to himself, he recalled the mental imagery of the wee lass throwing his own shoe in his face. Then she had stomped on his foot and kicked him. She was braw, he'd give her that.

_And what possessed a man to name his prick? _Ian stepped behind some bushes to relieve himself. Looking down he wondered what names would be suitable for such a thing. Certainly not "Leroi," that was rubbish. Finishing up, Ian decided that hunting might have to wait till the stormed cleared a bit more. Thunder was becoming more frequent, and Rollo had run off to… Somewhere.

He headed back.

* * *

I rummaged through the saddlebags looking to make surewe had packed enough blankets. When the storm passedwe would all be soaked through and freezing. Luckily we still had Bree and Roger's belongings that they hadn't taken with them; this included blankets.

My heart tighten. I had grown so accustomed to their presence that knowing I may never see them again was still difficult to believe. My hand shook as I ran it across my daughter's woolen blanket and belongings that she would never again use.

"You miss her don't you?" Vanessa asked . She was sitting on a fallen tree trunk watching me. The cloak she had bought the day before was wrapped around her tightly. It was getting fairly cold. I still couldn't wuite believe she had had the sterling on her when she came through dressed in her clothes from that era and not this one. Maybe she really did gain weight and the old dress didn't fit. Wheter or not she told us otherwise was up to her.

"It hasn't really sunken in just yet; but I can feel her absence... She'll be okay though. She will get Amanda a good surgeon and they will be alright." My voice shook, but Vanessa acted like she hadn't noticed. She nodded and plucked a leaf out of her hair.

"I have to say, it is hard to believe your feelings or him had changed so significantly." Her description of the first night with Bonnet didn't seem to entirely different from Bree's encounters. She didn't seem too uncomfortable discussing it in front of the men tough; I do believe they blushed more than she did. I wondered if Bonnet did actually come to care for her -- I couldn't concieve of the man loving anyone other than himself, but perhaps he really had cared. Did he lose it, I wonder, after she accidently went back through the stones in front of him?

Vanessa looked up. "Well It didn't magically happen over night or anything. It's… well…" She trailed off, thinking of a way to explain her thought. "You're from the twentieth century, so you might know. I don't know you well enough to assume you do, but… Have you ever found yourself into a relationship --be it boyfriend/girlfriend or friendship, whatever -- and at first you really don't like the other person that much. Yet you stick with it, hoping things will look up and then eventually your feelings begin to change. You start to become used to their bad habits and you become able to find more virtues -- for lack of a better word. The person over time becomes a bit more attractive to you, and then before you know it you love them and wouldn't know what you would do without them?"

"I..." I paused. I hadn't wanted to marry Jamie, at the time anyway,but I was forced to either do that or be imprisoned as a spy thanks to Jack Randall. Bastard. I sat down next to her. "Actually, I do." She looked up startled, but her lips twitched to a smile.

"When I came through the first time, I ended up having to marry Jamie to save my life. He didn't seem to have minded, in fact he confessed to have wanted me already. I tried to find a way out of it. He was my patient, and I cared for him, but didn't have any notion of marrying him. It didn't take long though. I love that man. I wouldn't let him go for anything."

"Well that's good then, Sassenach. I wasna planning on letting ye." Jamie had come up behind us. I wondered how long he'd been back there.

Ian strolled into the clearing as well, Rollo close at his heels. "Uncle Jamie found a nice shady spot with lots of cover. It shouldn't be too wet under them."

Jamie reached out a hand to help me to my feet, I didn't need it but I took it. Vanessa had leapt to her feet before either of the men could extend the same courtesy to her. She was a child of the twentieth century, after all. Ian stared at her back as she walked behind Jamie, I took up the rear, having stooped to collect a few herbs along the way. He was regarding her with an speculative look. Perhaps he thought she would draw a knife and go for Jamie's throat at any second. I would have to inquire about it later.

The area was indeed quite shaded. If I hadn't seen the gray clouds, I would have thought it was getting dark early. The forest was silent, save for some birds and our shuffling feet. I saw the horses tittered to a tree nearby; Jamie had taken them here first and come back for us, leaving a few of the saddlebags incase we needed anything while he was off.

I snuggled up to Jamie at the base of the tree. Ian had reclined against another, and across from him Vanessa had sat.

"Alright," Jamie started. "So Bonnet gave ye a week to bide your time before he…"

"Yes. Or, so he thought." Vanessa said.

Ian eyed her as though he suspected her to be lying. "Oh, aye. And what did you do to talk yourself out of it then? Did ye thrash him with another wee shoe?"

Jamie shook silently with laughter. He had relished in the thought of Bonnet having his own shoe aimed at his head.

"Well, by the time the week was up, we had stopped at a port to pick up more cargo."


	14. Her Week Is Over

_2 new chapters! for the time being I did change the rating to T so more people could see that the story exists, but things are leading up to a pretty explicit scene or two so I might have to change it back to M soon._

_Finally got a review! Thanks so much for your kind comments xKayDeex! I'm glad to know someone is reading :) It makes it all worthwhile in the end, ya know ;) _

_enjoy the 2 new chapters_

**

* * *

The Isle of Skye**

**1764**

"What do you mean _we're_ getting on a different ship?" Vanessa demanded during a sad attempt to smooth the creases and wrinkles out of her only dress. Bonnet had made her sleep naked to prevent any chance of bloodying it (or her just as crumpled shift) up -- or so he _told_ her. He really just wanted to feel her smooth, soft skin against his, even if he had given his word not to touch her until she stopped her monthly flow. It had stopped the day before, but he hadn't said anything. Let her think she was safe, he had been too busy preparing to dock and unload the cargo to worry about her body. It was time though, he knew it would be soon; probably that night.

Vanessa stood up ramrod straight and glared at him. I am not getting on another ship with you. I don't care if the Isle of Skye was about to sink and I would drown; I am _not_ going with you."

Bonnet reared his head back and laughed heartily. It seemed to unsettle her for she cowered slightly. "And what exactly do you propose to be doin' on the Isle of Skye with no' a thing to you name but that crumbled gown, darlin'?" He crossed his arms, and leaned against the door of his cabin to thwart any other attempts she had to get past him and to the dock as fast as her short legs could take her.

"I haven't figured that part out yet, if you must know. Now excuse me, I have running for my life to be doing. Away with you." Yet she hadn't moved.

Stephen Bonnet sighed. "Look, sweetheart, your friends in Norway paid good money for you to travel aboard my ship to the colonies. Now, I have to get a better ship because I am not traveling from England to the colonies in a ship that has cargo holds and nothing' else but stinking hides of men on board it, and a kitchen the size of a necessity."

"Call their money a bonus then, because I am _not_, under any circumstances, going to board another ship with you. So thank you for the lift, Captain, and unwanted company, and molestation, and the warm and now slightly blood crusted bed to sleep in as opposed to the cramped cargo hold on the floor. But I am afraid the time has come for our ways to part, and so I bid you adieu." Vanessa waved her hand in dismissal. "Adieu."

His gaze went to the bed that did have a couple brown stains from where she had slept on her stomach while bleeding. The sheets could be changed though. And the new bed in his new cabin would be bigger, and the sheets fresh. She had tried to hide from him on the ship various times within the past week. When he had left to go through his day to day tasks on board, she had snuck out of the cabin. She tried hiding in the cargo hold with the smuggled casks of wine and whiskey. He had found her. She tried to leap off the ship when land came into view but his men had seen her and knew that he had taken an interest in the woman. They had seized her by the arms and taken her back to his cabin where she had been safely locked inside of until the were safely docked. Bonnet had been actually expecting to find that she had broken the small window and crawled out.

"As rewarding as that sounds, love, I can't be letting ye go without someone to make sure you come to nay harm." He paused, burning into her with his gaze, "Besides, you and I have some unfinished business ourselves, aye."

Her jaw dropped open. "You cannot be serious!" She sputtered indignantly for a few seconds before adding, "I am not a play thing for you to use as you please, Stephen Bonnet! Damn you I am not your filthy whore!"

"As you have said repeatedly through out our journey thus far, darlin', though I do believe that is the first time I have heard ye call me Stephen." He liked how it sounded coming from her mouth.

"I am sorry to have addressed you so personally."

"I rather like my name on your tongue, sweetheart. True it isn't as appealing as other things upon it, mind, but it is a start."

"Rest assured I will never address you as such again. You will only be addressed as "Captain" and nothing else so intimate as even your last name."

"Pity that then. If you want to make addressing me so simple, darlin', why not just call me "Master."

He had gotten just the reaction he had expected. Her face screwed up into indignity and her fists clenched. "I would sooner refer to a diseased mouse as my master, you retched pig."

Bonnet laughed, he could not help himself. His stomach was knotting with laughter as she stood there cursing him under her breath. Other than to curse at him or demand him leave her be the entire week, she had said nothing to him. Completely ignoring his presence. It would soon change though. He would make her wish she had just given in, he could make it sweet for the two of them. _And just _when_ have you ever cared what a woman thought of you, let alone on how she felt during fornication? _He shoved his thoughts aside.

"Come then, sweetheart. The cargo has been moved already and the passengers, all that is left is us two. He strolled to the desk in the cabin to gather his pile of shillings and other items. When he turned around to face her, she was gone and the was door open wide. He hadn't even heard the sneaky little wench escape.

"Oh. It is like that, is it?" Bonnet grinned to himself as he raced up after her.


	15. In Which Things Go From Bad To Worse

Vanessa flew down the gangplank as fast as she could go. A few startled passers-by glanced at her before returning to their conversation. She felt her legs wobble as she reached the dock, the after effects of being on water so long. She reached the end of the dock right as a hand clamped onto her shoulder. "Oh, God damn it!" She hissed. A group of women coming off another ship stared at her in shock before crossing themselves and hastily moving on.

"Where do you think ye are goin', sweetheart?" Stephen Bonnet said calmly, but with enough menace to unsettle her considerably.

Then her heart lifted as she saw a pair of red coated English soldiers walking towards them. Before she had time to think of what she was doing, she shouted to them "Help! Officers, this man means to desecrate my purity! Have him unhand me at once!" She felt the hand tighten on her shoulder painfully.

The soldiers stared at her in shock before turning to each other to see whether they should help or not. Then they strode towards the two of them. "Good day ma'am. Sir." The short one on the right addressed them.

"Does there seem to be a problem?" The fat one on the left added.

Vanessa was opening her mouth to reply when she felt a sharp pinch at the base of her spine. Did that asshole have a damned knife on her? He did!

"No problem here, sir." Bonnet said to the fat one. "It is just my betrothed here was upset that we should marry in Scotland instead of waiting till we reached the colonies. She wanted her mother to see her in her pretty gown, but things got a bit out of hand at sea, and well, the poor sweet dear has gotten with child ye see. So we need to marry soon to save her reputation before anything gets out. So, gentlemen, it is important that this is not repeated."

"What? She did not have an escort?" the fat one sounded scandalized.

"Died at sea." Bonnet added quickly. "Fell overboard. Was already frozen stiff before we even found him."

The short one nodded in understanding. Un-freaking-believable!

"Are you the new Captain of _The Freya_?" The fat one said gazing at the large ship over her shoulder. She wondered if anyone could see the knife at her back. Probably not, the man was standing closely behind her and he was large enough to shield it.

"Aye."

The fat one smiled. " Did you say that you are taking the lady back to the colonies after you marry?"

"Aye." Bonnet sounded a bit cautious now.

The short one smiled sinisterly. "Then you would not mind if we come by tomorrow before you take sail to see thatyou have acquired a legitimatemarriage certificate. We would hate for you to not have one with you before making your way to her family. They might be perhaps as displeased as she to have her wedded in Scotland, with no documentation proving such. And then there is the fact that you did disrespect her by not waiting, but then it can be hard, surely."

Vanessa simultaneously felt her heart drop and Bonnet's hand tighten more. "Aye. That can be arranged Here, on the dock then, tomorrow morning."

The officers nodded. "Aye. Well, Good evening to ye Miss." The Fat one said, taking her trembling hand in his and planting a kiss on her knuckles. "Don't you worry none, I am sure your parents will understand." With that the officers walked off.

When he removed the knife, she swung around to face him. He was pale as a sheet. "W-what? What was that? Now you've gone and done it. I am not going to marry you, and I refuse to consent to in the church if you decide to go through with it."

Bonnet finally looked at her. "Well, there's naught much else to be done now, is there, darlin'? Looks like if I want to get out of this port without notice, I am going to be doin' it a married man."

"You are JOKING! You wouldn't…you _wouldn't _do it. Surely,…you wouldn't….would you?"

With a sigh, he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards _The Freya_. "Aye. You might not have realized it yet, sweetheart, but I am wanted for smuggling and piracy in the colonies as well as England. If want to get out of here with my cargo in the next two days, I am going to have to assure those _English_ soldiers that I am a gentleman of virtue." He said the last part with flat sarcasm.

"But you don't want to be married, I can tell. Jesus, you are as white as a ghost." She pulled out of his grasp and put a hand on his cheek. She didn't know why she did it, she no longer felt the spot where the knife had pressed, though it was not enough to break the skin, and she wasn't thinking of his confession to piracy. But he looked so helpless right then, that her instinct to comfort kicked in. He closed his eyes with her touch and leaned into her palm, perhaps as unthinking as she was in the same moment. "You don't have to do it. I know you don't want to."

His eyes snapped open and he backed away from her touch. "Aye. I do." He pushed her onto the ship ahead of him. She was left to wonder if he meant he did have to marry her, or if he did want to.

* * *

_A/N: haha, how many of you thought their marriage was going to come from mutal want and longing? I am trying to keep Bonnet as believeable in this as I can without stretching him too far in this relationship. I hope I am some what successful :P_


	16. Incomprehensive Detachment

_A/N: Thank you Moonrider for the comment! You made my day! I had this and the next 2 chapters written on paper already, I just hadn't gotten my lazy bum to the computer to type it yet. You where my muse! Thank you . The next two should be up tonight. ;)_

_

* * *

_

"Alec! Stewart!" Stephen Bonnet bellowed as he boarded his new ship. The Freya was larger, even above deck. More spacious. And so far, cleaner. The two men that had been summoned poked their heads up over the ladder that lead to bellow deck.

"Aye, Capt'n." Alec, the dark and hairy first mate answered. Stewart, who had light blonde hair and eyes bluer than the clear blue sky above them gave her the speculative, intense glare Vanessa was absolutely sure he practiced in front of a mirror in preparation to stare her down with everytime their paths crossed. It was unnerving, and getting a bit annoying as well.

"You two will be coming with me to serve as witnesses."

Alec and Stewart looked at each other quickly before turning back toward Bonnet. "Witnesses? For what? …Sir." Stewart added hastily.

"For my marriage, is what." He said it flatly, but the forcein whichthe two men's jaws dropping open made it a miracle they hadn't fallen off completely. Bonnet, who had a crocodile death grip on her arm, tugged Vanessa closer towards him. "Meet the future Mrs. Bonnet."

The men stared from Vanessa to Stephen Bonnet in a state of incomprehensive detachment. They clearly thought he had lost his friggin' mind and then had preceded to have his body taken over by alien creatures, and she was the evil Lilith who caused it all. Vanessa sighed, loudly and attempted to yank her arm out of his biting grip, but as usual, to no avail.

Bonnet was still talking. "For now, Alec, see that the cargo safely gets secured and there are no difficulties. He paused, looking at Vanessa out the corner of his eye, "The Lady and myself, we have to go and get decent clothing."

"Clothing?" Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.

"Aye, clothing. I have quite distinguished myself as a gentleman, and no wife of mine will look like a bond servant."

"A bond ser… You think I look like a BOND SERVENT?"

"Hush now, sweetheart." Bonnet leaned over to whisper in her ear, which was now red with rage, "There are but simple bond servants aboard _this_ ship, andyou wouldn' be wanting to offend them, would ye?"

Vanessa glared.

"…ehh… What about me, Captain Bonnet? What would ye have me do?" Stewart scratched his head, looking uncomfortable.

Bonnet looked back at him, apparently he had forgotten he'd only given orders to Alec. "Inform the cook that I expect a glorious feast for tonight, and then take one of the whiskey casks and find a priest that would not mind takin' the whiskey for a quick marriage, and signin' some documentation of it. The damned lobster backs want a certificate of marriage presented to them before we take sail or else they will take the lady and then perhaps board our ship and take a peek at our cargo…. Which would of course mean their immediate deaths, but I do not really want to draw attention to myself here. 'Tis bad enough in the colonies, but here they aren't so dead set on catching me… yet anyway."

Stewart nodded. "Aye, Captain Bonnet, consider it already done." And he was gone.

Stephen Bonnet whirled her back down the gangplank. "Let's see what we can't do about a gown, darlin'."

"What would you care? You think I am going to marry you? You've lost your mind! I _won't _do it."

Bonnet halted, and then he leered at her. No wonder the man had gotten a broken nose, he was relentless in pissing people off with just a simple look. "Aye, you will. And you may not be too pleased about it now, but eventually you will get used to it."

Vanessa snorted. "Yeah well, I don't look like a bond servant."

Bonnet grinned. "Aye, ye do. You're all… crumpled and tangled." Heswatted ather wild curls spilling over her shoulder. "A bond servant who just had a pleasant tumble in a haystack."

Vanessa's face flamed. "I am quite certain I have no hay sticking to me to cause that observation to deserve any merit."

Bonnet shrugged. They had left the docks and were walking amongst the buildings and pubs now. "You'll look more bedraggled than that when I am through with ye."

"Like I am just gonna let you…you..." She was cut off when he backed her into a wall between two buildings. He was standing up against her, preventing her from running. Leroi was apparently wide awake, damn him…it…. Well, great -- he has her personifying penises now.

"Um… could you like, just quit with the…" He kissed her. But this time it wasn't the rough, animalistic kiss he had bestowed upon her before. This one was… cautious. Soft even. Vanessa didn't respond, at first anyway, but stared at his closed eyelids in shock. What the hell has gotten in to him? He was pinning her with his body, but his hands were fastened on her hips, and not groping like mad. It was…pleasant. She didn't even realize she had responded to it at all until she realized her eyes had closed of their own accord, and her arms were around his neck. It was quite nice actually, despite the fact that her body was a giant traitor.

A cough from the right broke the moment. A chubby woman with a little girl pushed behind her skirts glared at them. She gripped her wicker basket tightly against her. "If you do no' mind, go to the inn if ye canna hold it together, aye?" And with that she stalked off, little girl staring curiously over her shoulder a them still in an embrace.

Bonnet looked down at her, his green eyes glazed with suppressed lust. As far as she was aware of, he hadn't made any advances on any other women on board the ship, and they had only docked today. She had heard Stewart telling some other men who helped lock her in his cabin that this was the first time the Captain's docked without ordering his men to find him a clean whore. Then he made a snide remark about the one he's already got which pissed her off enough to ignore the rest. So the captain was intent on using this super-surprise marriage proclamation to sleep with her, was he? He would be very disappointed then.

"What was that about?" Vanessa asked pushing him away. Surprisingly he didn't fight her, but simply stepped back, gazing at her expressionlessly. "What?"

Bonnet came to his senses, and a look of desperate need and sadness passed over his features and disappeared just as suddenly. "Let's just find you a new gown." And he walked past her.

Unaware as to why she didn't run the other way, she followed. How could she not?


	17. Lost and Afraid

There were ribbons and fabrics of different colors and textures in piles throughout the room. Vanessa looked around in awe. None of this was manufactured in factories, but by hard manual labor. Nothing was synthetic. This was so _not_ her world. Bonnet better not expect her to knit…

A squat woman, with light brown hair and shining hazel eyes came into the room from the back gazing at them with interest. Vanessa became aware that she did perhaps resemble a bond servant, but it was her only gown, so there was little to be done about it. And if she didn't find brush instead of a comb soon, her hair would have to be shaved off her head to remove the tangles.

Stephen Bonnet on the other hand, was himself slightly crumpled, but dressed as a gentleman. _That ass, isn't the female supposed to look better_...

"Can I be helping ye?" The woman asked in a thick Scots accent, taking in Bonnet's apparel.

He smiled and bowed slightly, the show off. His Irish lilt was clear and deep,"Thank you, ma'am. My dearly betrothed here is in need of a gown to wear at our marriage ceremony tonight, and as ye can see, she looks like a beggar."

The lady smiled at his humor, giving Vanessa a quick run over before turning her focus back on Bonnet. _Oh God, _please_ don't let her twirl her hair and bat her eyes at him, his ego is swollen enough._

"Tonight, ye said? There is nay way I can get a whole gown finished in time. I may be able to uncover a gown though, and just alter it to fit the wee lass."

_Wee, is it. She wouldn't be so dead set on turning him fromme if she spent five seconds alone with the man. Holy shit, am I jealous? Maybe I caught some disease and I am about to keel over and die._

"That is quite alright, ma'am. It is a short amount of time. Have her looking presentable would ye? " He pulled out a couple gold coins. Vanessa wished she knew what the currency was in equivalent with the modern money so she would know how much he just paid the woman who was staring at her hand, dumbfounded. Vanessa then wondered if he got the money by earning it or stealing it; he _had_ confessed to being a pirate.

"Of course, sir. Any color preference?" She asked him, as though Vanessa couldn't decide the color of her own damn dress.

"Blue." Bonnet said hastily. He didn't meet her eyes when she turned to gawk at him. "Brings out her eyes, it does."

And with that he turned on his heel and walked out the building.

* * *

Before long, Mary (as Vanessa had finally discovered her name was) had ranintothe back room to bring out another woman who was tall and skinny, and looked remarkable like one of those walking stick bugs. She even had big buggy looking eyes. Her name was Alicia. 

Alicia sized her up, perhaps longer than necessary, before exclaiming she knew just the thing and running out the building with one of the few coins Bonnet had paid them with. Vanessa followed Mary into the back room where she was handed an obnoxiously sheer white shift and a corset (like that would really fit) along with some cream colored silk stockings with pale blue garters to put on. Mary left her there to her own devices.

Vanessa stared around wonder what she should do. Should she just dress herself and take things as they come, or find something to write with and write an S.O.S. on the wall. Deciding, that since she had nowhere else to actually go she really had no choice but to be compliant, for now at least.

She managed the shift and stockings fine, but she was still staring suspiciously at the corset when Mary came back in. Vanessa crossed her arms over her breast due to the fact that they were clearly visible even in the slightly dark room. She really missed bras. She would kill for a Victoria's Secret to magically appear in front of her.

"Need help, lass?"

_Thank you, Mistress Obvious._

"Yes, please. Unless…. You know I really don't think it is necessary for a corset."

"If the Gentleman wants ye looking nice, and the money he's paid says that aye, he does, ye will look a Queen when we are done with ye."

Vanessa actually gulped.

Alicia came back in looking thrilled, carrying with her a blue silk gown that had to be one of the most beautiful dresses Vanessa had ever seen in her life. The under skirt was cream, which matched her stockings perfectly. Mary saw it and shrieked. "It's perfect, Alicia, lass!"

Mary tugged a bit to tightly on her laces and Vanessa gasped. "I think she likes it too, Mary. She's clean out o' breath." The women laughed heartily.

After getting the dreadful corset laced, the gown was thrown on her before she could blink. It was a perfect fit, except for the length. The gown was too long. Alicia tsked and they decided how much to alter it before taking it back off her to sew it.

Vanessa felt awkward sitting on a stool in the eighteenth century undergarments. Alicia was doing her hair, removing the tangles and braiding it, tying it with a matching blue silk ribbon. She glared at Vanessa when she outright refused a wig or cap.

When Mary finished the dress they got it back on her, and laced it in the back. The matching silk slippers were cozy and comfortable. Looking in the mirror, the only thing Vanessa felt was lacking was a tiara and the crown jewels. Her neck looked naked other than the few loose tendrils of curls left to brush lightly against her skin, and the dress was cut low enough to embrace the now larger swell of cleavage the corset had created. At least they were supported now, that was for damn sure.

Mary and Alicia fawned over her for several minutes before leaving her in the back room to go in the front to await the "handsome, braw gentleman." Vanessa rolled her eyes. Sure he was decent looking, but that man had soooo many issues. And what the hell was up with that little episode before coming in here? Men. They make absolutely no sense, no matter what century they were in.

* * *

She heard the door open in the front of the building, and her heart skipped a beat. It was Stephen Bonnet. She could sense him before he even said anything, or came in to sight. _Now, that's creepy_. 

A moment later she heard him mumbling greetings to Alicia and Mary, the later of which came bounding in to fetch her with a bright smile on her face. "Come along, lass. Just wait till he sees you looking so bonny." There was a bit of harshness in her tone, which Vanessa decided was Mary's annoyance that she hadn't have managed to have boarded Bonnet's ship instead. Let her; she could have him.

The first thing Vanessa saw when she entered the room was green. Light green eyes, wide with satisfied expectation and approval. His mouth was slightly open with awe, and if she didn't know any better he was speechless.

He didn't look too bad himself. He had bathed and shaved, and his hair had been thoroughly combed and pulled back in a leather queue. He wasn't wearing a hat or wig, which would have diminished his looks considerably. His green velvet coat had silk cuffs and brought out his eyes as exquisitely as her dress did hers. He was big and broad, tall and fierce. He was undoubtedly a handsome man, and her body was responding to it.

She tried to will it to stop, but her pulse beat a little faster, and her breath came out a little heavier… but then that was possibly due to the corset squeezing the life out of her. She couldn't think of an excuse for the heat pooling in her abdomen though; she was absolutely positive it was _not _constipation, but for the first time in her life she wished it was. Her body must find humor in disobeying her mind. Stupid body.

"Beautiful." It was said under his breath, barely audible. Mary heard it though, from Vanessa's side, and she beamed.

"We knew ye would like it, Sir. The exact shade of the lassie's bonny blue eyes, it is."

Bonnet nodded to her and walked to stand directly in front of Vanessa, looking down at her. His eyes dipped lower and she realized that from his height you could probably see to her naval down her dress. She blushed.

He didn't say anything, but held his hand out to her. She noticed it was shaking as she took it in her own. His nerves must have been going as fast as hers were. How did they get into this? If she had just given in, let him satisfy his need, she would probably be left alone now and he'dhave moved on to another conquest. Now he was getting tied down to a wife he didn't want, and probably didn't' have time for at all.

How long before he grew bored with her? Would it be after he'd taken her? Would she satisfy him until they reached the colonies, and then he cast her off like bad meat? She instantly became aware that she desperately didn't want to be a disappointment to him. Other than Anya and the keepers of the stones in Norway, he was all she had known. How would she adapt with out him there to boss her around in this century in which she knew absolutely nothing. _My God, I _need_ him!_

Bonnet muttered his thanks to the women and moved her hand into the crook of his arm, where she gripped as though were she to let go her tie to the earth would shatter and she would be utterly alone. He gazed at her grip on his arm and up at her, puzzled. The corner of his lip twitched.

As they exited the building the sky above them loomed in shades of pale reds, oranges, violets, and yellows. The sun was setting, marking the end of her old life, what she knew of the twentieth century, and tomorrow she would be married, a woman, and her life would be changed for ever.

She was terrified.

"You look beautiful, darlin', it is taken' all I have in me to wait." He whispered in her ear. "Why such a tight grip? Afraid, are you?"

Vanessa looked up at him, "I don't know what I am supposed to do. Everything is… different. This place, this time, the people, the dialect, the clothes…. Not to mention I've never… well, by myself I have, but that's beside the point…"

Bonnet stopped short. "By yourself… you've… really?" His eyes held a spark of interest, but they soon clouded. "This time? That's an odd way of describing things, as though you'd be from some other time, eh?"

Vanessa looked at the ground. She couldn't respond to that. He'd think she was crazy. _Then you could get away, he wouldn't want to wed a mad woman._ But what would she do? Where would she go?

The church loomed ahead of them. Vanessa couldn't take her eyes off of it as they approached it slowly, it's shadow cast over them in an embrace of impending doom.


	18. The Sweet Embrace of Whiskey

A/N: _3 more chapters tonight. What's this, like 5 chapters in 2 days? My life is non-existant. I wanted to get the wedding night completed and I did! I hope you enjoy it, and just know I blushed a LOT writting chapter 19 ;)_

* * *

It had been a small church. You would think so many candles lit in a small, wooden church, would b a fire hazard. Apparently that was not so. 

The priest was drunk. That was how Bonnet planned to getit done then. A drunk, but happy priest wouldn't question either of them, but would just perform the ceremony and then go home to sleep happily. So even if she did not say "I do" she would be married to him still. Damn them all then… at least her dress was pretty.

Stewart and Alec had sat off to the side, looking uneasy. Clearlyit had beenthe last place they had ever wanted to be, and yet they were there because Bonnet had asked them. She could see their fear of him every time he looked in their direction on the ship or on land. Thinking of that just now didn't help her any, it only made her shudder.

The men on the ship celebrated; or they got really drunk and grunted their congratulations toward Stephen Bonnet with as little _actual_ engagement in discourse with him as possible. Other than Stewart and Alec, the other crew members kept a wary distance from Bonnet, which he didn't seem to mind. She even felt it most of the time, that invisible wall that surrounded him. God save anyone who was foolish enough to cross that wall uninvited.

Vanessa's body was warm all over, and her head felt light and slightly dizzy. _So this is what it is like to be drunk? Well… Let's embellish upon this situation then. Maybe I will pass out and not feel my virginity being stolen away fromme byLucifer himself._

That wasn't a fair comparison, and she knew it. She suspected Bonnet's air of hostility was a front to keep anyone from trying to become too friendly with him. He didn't trust anyone, not even her. When ever she got up in the middle of the night to use the chamber pot or get a glass of water -- she always woke up thirsty -- He would have one pale green eye keeping a predatory gaze focused on her as though expecting her to take a dagger to his back while he slept. And now she was officially married to the non-trusting, no good scoundrel of a man. _Oh, but remember he _is_ a gentleman and he can read and write, so at least he wasn't _completely_ worthless._

Vanessa was handed another glass of whiskey. She cringed after taking a long swig of it. The stuff was strong, and wasn't very great tasting. But whiskey was her friend. Whiskey would never betray her. It welcomed her with a warm embrace, and she embraced it back. Why couldn't she be married to whiskey?

Bonnet stood up and everyone on board silenced at once, looking up at him not knowing what to expect. The passengers had all come on board earlier that day to pay their ways, but they wouldn't be back till the morning. It was just herself and her husband, and then the sailors.

Bonnet held up a glass full of some dark amber liquor. Whether it was whiskey or brandy, or something else, she wasn't sure. Her own hands clasped her whiskey as though life depended on it. "To Mrs. Vanessa Bonnet, may Danu protect us against all odds." He took a swig. "And now, I must ask ye all, men to not say a word of this marriage to anyone… ever."

Vanessa's jaw dropped open. Surely the man wasn't going to discredit their marriage that was performed in the name of the Lord….by a drunk priest who shared her love of whiskey… sweet, lovable whiskey.

"As ye may be aware of, wives are a weakness to a sailor who lives his life at sea." He gave them all a piercing glance before continuing, nobody so much as blinked. "'Twas under unfortunate circumstances that this one came to be, sure. Yet, I find meself wed. She is my wife, as the priest deemed true." He clutched the piece of parchment the priest had documented their marriage on to present to the soldiers. "I know a lot of you are afraid of me, and for good reason too. Just know that if word gets out that I have a wife, my enemies will target her. And if my enemies target her they will expect to ransom her. I do no' pay any man's ransom, and surely you can hear from my mouth that I'll not pay hers."

Vanessa felt her face drain of color and she downed the rest of her whiskey with a choking gasp.

"But if anyone sae much as touches her in a wrong matter, I will have their heads. I am aware of each and every one of yez on this ship, and yer comings and goings off of it. I will find out who betrayed her identity as my wife; who betrayed me. And you will die a _very_ painful death indeed." His speech finished, he downed his drink.

The crew was silent, and uneasy. Some of them were pale and looked ill. Vanessa felt a tinge of dread and wondered how many had already, since hearing she was married to Captain Bonnet, planned on using her to get back at him. She took a half full glass out of Stewart's hand, who was standing to her left. He gawked at her as she downed it's entire contents in one breath. Sherry. Eew.

"Goodnight men, Alec is going to be in charge of finishing with the cargo until the morning.So I trust the lot of yez will not give him any problems to cause me to leave my bed on my wedding night." With that he swooped Vanessa into his arms causing her to let out a great "Ooof" of surprise. A select few of the crew men let out hoots and hollers as Bonnet expertly maneuvered himself with her weight on one arm down the ladder to below deck and headed to his cabin.

It was time.

God have mercy on her, it was time.


	19. It Is Time

A/N: _Mature content warning. If you read the Outlander sereis, you are probably used to all this stuff by now, but seeing how I dropped the raiting from M to T because no one was seeing the story, I thought I'd give a heads up before there were body parts... well, okay there were body parts earlier, but they were not in activity...yet.

* * *

_

Stephen Bonnet dropped her lightly on to the bed. _His wife._ He could not believe that this was happening to him. At least he could satisfy himself now and then as soon as they reached the colonies get rid of her.

"How are we goin' about this, darlin'? You goin' to undress yourself or do you want me to do it?"

Vanessa scrunched her face up in indignation. "I can undresssss…ss myself, thank you."

How much had she drank. She seemed to be quite fuddled.

Standing up on wobbly legs, Vanessa still appeared a queen in that dress. It made him want to rip it off of her and take her right then, but she had hissed at him on the way to the ship from the church that if he ripped that dress she would castrate him in his sleep. With those nails, he didn't doubt it. They weren't too long, but they were long enough to do some damage, and at the moment he welcomed it. He hoped she would be wild in his bed. Tonight may be awkward for her, but they had a good month or so on the sea for her to learn how to play.

She had conceded to move in tiny circles as she attempted to unlace the dress herself.

"I can help with that."

Vanessa stopped and glared. "No thank you."

It tooktwo steps to reach her and he began to unlace the dress. Her spine stiffened. "I said…" The ship moved a bit and her legs failed her. He caught her under the arms before she could fall.

"Bardon me, Captian Ponnet, but I can manage on my own!" The little fool was reelin' drunk!

"Captain…Ponnet, is it?"

She looked at him over her shoulder, and then burst out laughing. "No, silly! Your name is Bonnet! How can you forget your own name… _so_ stupid. Can't hold your..rrrr... whis-sskkksky." He ignored it, given he circumstances.

He pulled the dress up over her head with ease. Her laughter stopped abruptly. Before she could think to escape him, he began on the laces to her corset. He ripped that away as the last was undone causing her to sigh loudly as her body gained it's freedom from it's former confinements.

"Ye shouldn' be making sae much noise, sweetheart. I thought you planed on shunning me?"

"Whatever, Stephen. I came to the conclusion that you would just do it anyway, and seeing how I have no strenrrrength to fight you… screw this. Just to boast your overly inflated male ego, conssssid...errr it my 'ultimate and complete surrender..er.' Funny in romance novelses, they make it sound sexy."

Bonnet considered her strange words. She really had no head for drink, that much was obvious. She was wearing a very sheer shift and he could see her puckered nipples under it, begging for him to reach out and cup them. She wrung her hands together and fidgeted with the ring he had given her. It was the only item he had from his childhood. He kept it hidden always, his mother's ring. Silver with a blue sapphire in it. His dad had given to his motherwhen they had married.Bonnet never understood why he didn't sell it, and now he had parted with it finally. It was the exact size for her finger. Ultimate and complete surrender, sure. A soon as she was naked, except for that ring, he would reveal in it.

He pulled her back towards him, and leaned over her shoulder to whisper, "Ye called me Stephen. I thought you were against being so personal with me."

"Yeah, well, if I have to be married to you I can't be calling my husband 'Captain' all the time."

His left hand pulled the ribbon from her hair as his right found the hem of the shift and pulled it up and over before she had time to react. He used both hands to fluff out the sandy, gold curls that reached the middle of her back. She had her stockings left.

Turning Vanessa to face him, she looked up at him with blue eyes burning with panic and fear. Usually it was expected and hewould findhumor in it, but with her it pained him. Perhaps it was because she was his wife, and she would fear to share a bed with him. Then again, the reason she was his wife only made her fear credible; she had clearly stated she didn't want to be and that she didn't want him.

He pushed her back on the bed where she laid stiffly, apparently too afraid to even twitch. He sighed in frustration. He reached down and took her right ankle in his hand. Pulling off the little silk slipper, he then moved his free hand slowly up her leg to the end of the stocking and pulled it off slowly to let the chill of the air slowly caress the places where the stocking had provided warmth. He felt her shiver.

He removed her other stocking in the same manner and pulled her back to her feet to face him.

"Now this can no' be very fair. Ye beingall naked and me standing here fully clothed. Take your revenge, sweetheart."

He saw her eyes move slowly down the length of his body. Leroi was ready to rip out of his breeks if she didn't get a move on it. She didn't make any move to undress him, so with another sigh and a nod in her direction he began to undress himself. He had it done within a minute.

He watched in amusement as she attempted not to look down at the length of him. Her eyes disobeyed her though, and she gawked at itwhile shebacked into the wall. He advanced on her, matching her every step with one of his own. "What's wrong, darlin'? Afraid, are ye?"

"That…it…it is _not_ going to fit." Her voice came out in a whisper.

"Aye, it'll fit. It will be a perfect fit."

"I _really_ don't think it will. It's rather large…and I'm…. well I don't think there is that much room honestly." She put her hand to her abdomen as though to measure. Her hand in that vicinity of her body caused Leroi to twitch in anticipation.

"I _really_ think it will. But there is only one way to really find out, aye?" Her eyes met his the instant before he leaned in and kissed her with a striking speed that would cause a snake to envy him.

It wasn't like the kiss they had shared earlier that day, this one was fierce and hungry. She kissed him back with a ferociousness that surprised him. He could feel her nervousness and he wished that she was not a virgin, so that he didn't have to hurt her. For the first time since he could remember, Stephen Bonnet cared if he would harm a woman in the act. It annoyed him.

He leaned down and grabbed her thighs pulling them up to wrap around his waist. She didn't fight him. He kept one hand on her rounded arse and used the other as leverage when he reached the bed to lean down and place her in it. He let go of her momentarily as he crawled in after her and kissed her again as he moved toplace himselfbetween her thighs. He used one hand to spread them out to welcome him, and the other he moved up her legs to that junction between her thighs that was shrouded in dark curls. To his complete shock, she was ready for him.

Bonnet pulled back. She desired him. The evidence of it was moist against his hand, and yet she fought him like all the others. He felt something stir within him, but quickly ignored it. She frowned at his sudden absence. "Did…did I do something wrong?"

Bonnet stared at her heatedly. How could she think such a thing when they hadn't even done anything yet. "No, sweetheart. So far you have done everything _right_."

She wanted him. He was baffled by it.

Upon a sudden impulse, Bonnet leaned down and took her with his mouth causing her to jerk in surprise and gasp as the sensations of his tongue flowed through her body. He had _never _thought to pleasure a woman. He simply took a few minutes to satisfy himself and left. He didn't know the meaning of intimacy; only need and lust. But he felt a satisfied pride about he way he was making her moan and squirm at the moment. Her hands were fastened in his hair, which had fallen loose the moment she put her hands in it. And if he didn't know any better, he heard his name being uttered in those breathless gasps she was making. He used his finger to slowly circle the opening to the little treasure he would, without a doubt, be pillaging in the next few minutes while he continued the silent assault with his tongue.

Vanessa was sobbing with pleasure claiming she wasn't able to take it, but he was relentless in his attack. He pushed his finger inside of her and she groaned. Slowly he pulled it back out, and she pleaded that he have mercy on her. He smiled some time later as sheherentire body suddenly shudderedand she screamed as she climaxed.

Outside the cabin he heard a loud roar of laughter and cheers. The damned crew had been outside listening. Looking at Vanessa, he couldn't tell if the redness of her face was due to being flushed form what he had just done to her, or in humiliation.

"If I catch any of yez outside that door, I will tear off your own pricks and feed 'em to ye!" Bonnet bellowed. A scurry of feet was all they heard in reply.

Bonnet moved back up her body, tasting her heated flesh as he did so, reclaiming her lips. She was hesitant at first, no thanks to his damnable crew, but she complied before long. Her breasts really did fill his palms perfectly, just as he known they would on sight.

While he had her where he wanted her, he shifted ever so slightly, and with one powerful thrust filled her completely. She stiffened instantly, muscles fighting him for dominance of that territory. He stayed absolutely still. A small sob escaped her lips; he was hurting her.

"Stay still and just relax, darlin'. Let your body relax a moment, it is gettin' used to me already, I can feel it."

"Oh, you can _feel_ it." Vanessa said through clenched teeth, "How nice for you. I can't even find the right words to tell you what it feels like to me."

His body willed him to move, but he fought it without understanding why he did. Finally, Vanessa sighed exasperatedly. "Well, damn it, move already. The sooner you get it over with the better. It is going to hurt the first time no matter how slow or fast you go so just _do _it."

"Are you…certain?"

"Do you want me to claw your face, like right now?"

"No' really."

"Okay then." She squirmed, causing him to groan. "Move!"

So Stephen Bonnet tried not to look at her as she bit her lip to hide the pain while he thrust into her as though hell itself was on his heels. He lost himself inside of her in hardly anytime at all, and after he spilled his seed, he pulled out of her and collapsed beside her, one hand resting possessively over her abdomen.

He was breathing heavily, while she was deathly quiet. "Vanessa?" He used her name and he sounded like a child, which aggravated him.

She looked over at him in surprise at hearing him say her name.

"Did I hurt you… a great deal?"

She stared at him hard for a time, then her features softened. "Only a little bit. But before that was…. Well, damn if we weren't already married I would have _begged_ you to marry me after that."

Bonnet chuckled. And drew her closer to him. She rested her head beneath his chin, in the crook of his shoulder. She fell a sleep in a matter of moments, and then, after watching her sleep -- and not move at all for once -- he fell asleep himself.


	20. Nightmares

A sob woke her out of the deep sleep she had been engulfed in. Vanessa moved to sit up but armslocked around her pulling her close to him and not letting go. Her arms were trapped between their chests and he buried his face in her neck, sounding like… God was he crying?

"Stephen…" She tried to free herself. "Stephen!" She hissed and he looked up at her. The moonlight shining in from the large window that covered the far wall of the cabin, looking out to sea spilled across his features and she noticed his cheeks were wet. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and he looked like a scared, lost little boy.

"What.. What's wrong?" He didn't say anything, but he breathed deeply in an attempt to muffle another sob. She freed one hand and placed it on his cheek. "What's wrong?"

"I had it again." He said in a whisper.

"Had what again? A nightmare?"

"Aye. I haven't had it in months, but it has come back again." His voice sounded terrified.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" She pushed the loose strands of blonde hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ear.

"I do no' even want to think about it anymore."

Vanessa nodded, and used herthumb to wipe away the remnants of tears. Knowing he had shed any made her want to cry. For some reason seeing anyone cry, especially men, caused her to cry in response.

"'Tis always the same." He said softly. "I can no' move at all and the water engulfs me. It is dark and muddy and there is no escaping it. There are… things… in the water, waiting their turn to do their business with me. Always the same, since I was a lad." He sobbed again, and his hold on her loosened enough for her to free her other arm and move to a sitting position. He flung his arms around her waist and laid his head in her lap. "Please don't leave me. I know I am a bad man, and I deserve what is comin' for me. But do no'leave me tonight. Please." The desperation in his voice choked her up.

One hand was lying lightly across his wide, muscled back which was damp with sweat. Her other, ran absently through his hair. "It'll be okay. I'm here with you now. Anyone or anything that tries to take you from me, be damned." She felt his body shake with quiet laughter, as if he didn't believe she could do very much about it if something did happen.

Fiddling with his hair, she sang to him the first song that popped in to her head. Granted it was Guns N' Roses, and probably not something she should be introducing to the eighteenth century. She couldn't think of anything else right off hand, so she just went with it.

_She's got a smile that it seems to me,_

_Reminds me of childhood memories_

_Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky._

_Now and then, when I see her face,_

_It takes me away to that special place,_

_And if I stare too long,_

_I'll probably break down and cry. _

_Oh, Ooo Oh, sweet child o' mine._

_Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, sweet love of mine._

He had calmed and was asleep in her lap, but she sang to him anyway in a variety of different songs, until the sun came up the following morning.


	21. Comfort

**1776**

So Stephen Bonnet really had been having the same nightmare for years. I remembered Brianna telling us about it after her surprise confession that she couldn't allow Bonnet to drown as he was sentenced. Jamie and Roger had been completely dumbfounded. I had merely arched an eyebrow at such a notion; I knew, even if the men had thought she meant otherwise, she didn't mean to set him free again.

Vanessa was eating the stew I had made in silence. The storm had passed, and it was now fully dark. Ian and Rollo had gone hunting and brought back a rabbit for the stew we now ate. Rollo had stayed away from Vanessa since the darkness came, watching her with cautious eyes. I kept looking at Ian to see if maybe he saw the ghost again, but if he did he didn't make it obvious. Jamie seemed restless off to my side, more than likely aware that the ghost may reappear tonight.

Jamie and Ian had flushed profusely as Vanessa stared at her feet and recounted the night of her marriage to Bonnet. He had slapped Brianna around until she submitted, yet he took caution not to hurt Vanessa. It was so unbelievable, but at the same time it pained me to realize he had had a heart… once. I felt for the man, even though I hated him. More than that though, I felt for Vanessa . Her heart was truly broken, and yet she had despised him before marrying him. Like myself, she found herself forced into a marriage she didn't want, but she realized there was little to be done about it other than make the best of it.

Vanessa helped me clean up after our dinner and Jamie and Ian went around our little camp to make sure we were safe, and there was nothing or nobody stalking around waiting to take a bite out of us unaware. The song Vanessa had sang to comfort Bonnet, I didn't know myself. Perhaps it was from a later time, but I still couldn't help but think of Roger and his love of music. And how following Brianna through the stones resulted in his inability to sing ever again. Maybe modern day surgery could help him, but I wasn't sure if he would go into all of that or not. Not to mention how he would explain how he came to be nearly hanged. That would have been an interesting fib, if anything.

Jamie and I had a pallet in the copse of two trees. Ian took one about ten feet away. Vanessa's was close to Ian's, but a good seven or eight feet lay empty between them. Apparently Ian wanted to stay close to keep an eye on her, but after the events of the night before, was not going to go too close.

I was just dozing off myself when Rollo gave a low whine. I felt Jamie stiffen behind me and I opened my eyes. Across the little camp we made, it was there beside her sleeping form. A whitish blur it seemed at first, to my half asleep eyes. Then as my eyes adjusted I made out that wide frame and build, the fair colored hair, and crooked nose. Stephen Bonnet stood over Vanessa with a look of deep despair dominating his appearance.

The wind picked up suddenly, but his hair and shirt never moved with it. Vanessa stirred, grouping in her sleep for her blanket which she had kicked to her feet as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Bonnet's ghost kneeled down beside her and made to grasp the blanket to help, but his hand went through it.

"Unbelievable." Jamie whispered behind me.

Bonnet's ghost heard him and his head shot up. Green penetrating eyes burned into mine a moment before lifting to see Jamie. The corner of the ghost's mouth twitched. The irony of the situation seemed to dawn on me in that moment. Jamie had been kind enough, if not a fool, to help Bonnet at one time. Now he was helping Bonnet's wife.

It was then that I saw Vanessa's eyes open and look straight at me. Seeing my look of shock, and then seeing Jamie's gaze focused behind her she turned. Her body jerked in surprise. Bonnet's ghost looked down at her, appearing paler that before.

"Stephen?" Vanessa managed to say in a voice that was still hoarse with sleep. She raised one hand, hesitatingly out to touch him. As her hand reached his cheek, he vanished. She sat there with her hand in the air for several minutes, not moving. And then as realization finally hit her, she began to cry.

I started to move to get up, but Jamie put his hand on my shoulder to keep me from going to her. I was just about to ask him why he didn't want me to comfort her when I saw Ian cautiously approaching her.

She had curled herself into a tiny ball, shaking vigorously as she sobbed. Ian hunched down and put a hand on her shoulder. Vanessa paused, and looked up at his face. Within a blink of an eye she had flung herself into his arms, and he wrapped his own around her making comforting comments to her and holding her tightly against him. I turned my back on them to snuggle against Jamie.

"Uh.." Jamie whispered suddenly. "Perhaps we should take a walk, Sassenach."

"What?" I said turning from him to look back in time to see Ian and Vanessa engaged in a rather passionate looking kiss. "Oh…um…yes. A walk would be quite nice actually."

They didn't even hear us get up and walk away.

* * *

It wasn't until later, while holding her sleeping form up against him under her blankets, that he remembered the ghost. He really hoped it didn't come back and find the two of them like this. Ian had never angered a ghost before, that he knew off, and didn't want to start with one that was a devious devil of a pirate.

He didn't even know how it had happen. He was merely comforting the wee lass, who had lost herself with grieve after seeing the ghost for herself. Apparently that feeling of complete loss lead to other feelings of loneliness and before he had time to think properly, she had kissed him. He had kissed her back eagerly, his body took over thinking from his brain. At least she had stopped crying.

She hadn't let him take any control in the situation either, and was atop him in no time at all. Not that he really minded, but he was accustomed to being the one on top. She had ridden him like the devil would take her should she stop , and took her own pleasure from him with ease. When she had shuddered upon him he flipped her over and took his own. She had fallen to sleep almost instantly afterward, saying no more than a barely audible "Thank you."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Uncle Jamie and Auntie Claire sneak back to their pallet. Heat rose in his cheeks as he realized what he had just done in front of them, and hoped they had walked off before anything too intimate had occurred.

In all honestly, however, Ian was glad that he could give the lass something to ease her mind with. Even if only for a little while.

* * *

The following morning no one mentioned what had occurred the night before. Vanessa had awakened to find herself alone in her pallet, Ian and Jamie no where to be seen. Claire glanced up at her from the coffee she was brewing when she noticed the movement of her trying to put her shift on while under the blanket. She hadn't said a word, just arched a brow and continued with what she was doing.

The men came back and helped get everything ready to go again. Getting back on the saddle with Ian caused Vanessa's cheeks to flame; my God what had she been thinking!

After about a quarter of an hour's silence in traveling, Jamie broke the silence. "Well, then. Ye were saying that Bonnet had a wee nightmare on the night of the marriage? Are ye going to tell us what happened next?"

"Oh, that." Vanessa said, bushing a strand of hair out of her eye. "Well, things didn't exactly go as they would have seemed from there."

"You mean things got complicated?" Claire asked.

"I don't think _complicated_ is strong enough a word."

* * *

_A/N: Ever find the characters completely take you over as you write? This chapter was meant to be just the first and last parts above, the thing with Ianin the middle never even crossed my mind until I was halfway doen writing it. So that part wrote itself, it was kinda cool actually how that happened. If you haven' left any feedback, please do. It might be some time before the next update, I have alot of things due for my classes I have abandoned for Stephen Bonnet. Soooo reluctantly I must do them._


	22. Clash of Egos

_So I couldn't resist myself and wrote some more. This story has taken me over and I can't stop :)_

**

* * *

1764**

Stephen Bonnet woke up with his head pounding as though he was being beaten repeatedly with an anchor. He became aware that his head was resting on Vanessa's soft, warm thigh, and her hand was lying tangled in his hair. She was asleep, leaning against the corner where the oaken headboard was adjacent to the window. He thanked Danu that his cabin faced the open sea and not the docks because everyone who looked in that window would see her naked body and for some reason he felt disinclined to share what was now legally his. The sun was barely up, but he had to make sure those soldiers didn't find it necessary to board his ship and nose about until they found the smuggled goods that he was taking with him to the colonies.

He dislodged her hand and she stirred awake. "What is it?" She murmured sleepily.

"Nothing, darlin', just got to see to them soldiers you so thoroughly alerted."

"I'm sorry." She said, rubbing her eyes.

Oh, now she's sorry. Well, he _had_ made her squirm and scream something fierce. Perhaps she's come to her senses that she had only been missing out, though he hadn't necessarily planned on doing more than satisfying Leroi. "It was a mistake, sure. Nothin' to do about it now though but pray they find this scrap of parchment satisfactory, aye?"

He started to pull his breeks on when she stretched luxuriously. His whole body stiffened, and she saw it. "Oh, you can't be serious. You'll be late."

"I doubt that, sweetheart, I am incredibly fast." She frowned at his answer, which perplexed him.

"Well, gee. Not many men would get off on letting a woman they were planning on banging know that unfortunate detail."

_What the hell is she talking about?_

"Besides," She continued. "I feel a bit sore anyway, and not too eager to do it again so soon."

"Who told you that ye had any say in it. You say a lot of strange things, darlin', some of which I do no' fully understand half the time. But marriage laws are a bit different here apparently. I married ye, and that makes you my personal property to do with however I please."

She snorted. "Yeah, well don't expect me to just lay around, legs open to you when ever you walk I the door, because my standards are a bit higher than all that."

"I could beat ye into submission."

Her eyes flared defiance when she met his gaze. "Oh, you could _try_. You have pushed, pulled, and shoved me around thus far, but you have yet to strike me. I have defied you for over a week and it took _marriage_ before you were actually able to fuck me. If you recall I did not want to marry you, but you forced it on me and now I am your wife because you deemed it necessary to tie yourself down, in the name of the Lord, to one woman you don't even know. So I ask you, Stephen Bonnet, would you start using brute force on me now?"

He barely suppressed the rage within him by the time he reached her. He had only managed to pull on his breeks to his thighs and he kicked them off again before he made it back to the bed. The woman hadn't dared move a muscle, sitting there meeting his gaze with as much fury and pride as he himself bestowed upon her at that moment. She could match him in defiance, he'd give her that.

"You dare to challenge me then, sweetheart? You do no' know me well enough to try yer luck on that particular level."

"I know that you try your damnedest to appear a monster." She leaned forward, settling herself to sit on her knees to face him full on. "You create a barrier around you, daring anyone to cross it just so you can take out your frustrations on them. You think you can just take whatever it is that you want, not particularly caring abut the circumstances until after you have satisfied what ever sick, deranged notion you've had in that depraved, thick skull of yours. You may act like you are Satan himself, and that you will take on anything thrown at you with deadly ease. But I think it is all a farce. I think that secretly, inside, you are nothing but a coward."

He was furious. He snatched her off the bed by her shoulders, standing her before him. "Do you want to die today, sweetheart? What is goin' through that head of yours?"

She summoned up strength from her rage and yanked herself out of his death grip. "No I do not want to die, but I am not going to stand around to be used like a worthless possession. When I give my body, it will be of my _choice_!" She hissed the last in his face and slapped him. The stupid wench actually slapped him. He saw red.

With a deep, guttural growl, he pushed her back onto the bed with enough force that he heard her wheeze as the breath was knocked out of her. The straw mattress _was_ pretty hard. Before she could regain her senses he was on her pressing her down with his body. He reached beneath him to pull out one of her legs roughly from beneath him, she pushed at him with both hands as he did the same with her other.

She pounded on his chest, and raked her nails over his cheek. He felt wetness in their wake. So she wanted to draw blood, did she? Her mistake.

He lifted himself enough to move to take her and she spun onto her stomach and made to flee. He caught her with both hands on her waist and brought her back down hard upon himself. His little wild cat roared in incensed fury. He thrust into her a couple times before she managed to ease a foot under her and kick him hard in the stomach. He let go and she leapt from the bed, only to trip over his abandoned breeks on the floor.

Bonnet crashed heavily on top of her and she slammed her head back into his forehead with a sickening crack. His head, which had already been pounding, throbbed uncontrollably. As he sat up to place a hand to his head she squirmed from under him, turned and kicked him square in the chest. Catching her foot, he yanked her toward him. She fell onto her arse with an "ugh."

He was holding both Vanessa's legs now in his hands, keeping them from connecting with his face. He pulled her to him keeping them spread out as he did so. He trusted into her again, letting go of her legs, he pinned her hands above her head. She growled at him. When he leaned down nuzzle her neck which glistened with sweat from her exertion, she fastened her teeth into his shoulder. For some strange reason, instead of angering him, it only increased his need to take her. He pulled almost all the way out, driving in to her as deep and as hard as he could. She let go of his shoulder as she let loose a groan of surprise.

He let go of her wrists only to have them dig into the skin of his hips. He hissed at the sudden pricks of pain those claws of her initiated, but he held her face still with both hands to force her to stare up at him as he pounded into her. Between thrusts he managed to snarl "You…Are…MINE." And he kissed her full on the lips. She bit his tongue, and he bit her lip in return hard enough to draw blood. He trusted one final time in triumph with a groan of satisfaction and got off of her.

She sat up quickly and wiped at her bleeding lip. "I _hate_ you."

Pulling his breeks all the way on this time, he didn't even glance at her as he replied, "Well considerin' nobody has ever be inclined to love me, darlin', I am not particularly surprised."

He finished dressing in silence. Glancing at her, he realized she hadn't even moved but sat there watching him with an intense blue gaze that set him uneasy. What was it about this one particular woman that set him off?

"I'm an evil man, sweetheart. No need in denyin' it. Would be in your best interest if ye did no' intentionally try to anger a man such as myself."

"Coward." She said under her breath, but he had heard it and his rage returned.

With a growl of frustration, Stephen Bonnet snatched the piece of parchment off the desk and slammed his cabin door behind him on the way out.

* * *

Above deck, Alec had came at once to let him know the way of things, taken one look at the scratches on his face and his expression of intense rage, and turned on his heel to retreat.

"Don't take another step." Bonnet said.

"Good morn'n to ye, Capt'n." Alec turned back around, staring at his feet as to not meet Bonnet's eyes. "I trust ye had a wonderful wedding night, sir."

Bonnet snorted. "Don't let her leave this ship, nor come on deck where she could think to wave down anyone else to help her escape me."

"Escape…. She means to escape after she willingly went through with…" Bonnet's leer cut him off. "Aye, Capt'n. She'll not set foot up here 'till we set sail today, sir." He scurried off.

Bonnet walked down the gangplank, mind reeling. How dare she? Why hadn't he just beat her for it? Damned if she did it again, though. He would have her wiped in front of the crew. He'd cut off her finger and throw it to the sharks! He tie her to his bed and take her as many times a day as he saw necessary. Gag her too; he'd like to she her claw, bite, kick, or hit him when she's bound and gagged, the stubborn wench!

Making his way to the end of the docks where he told the soldiers he'd meet them, he leaned against a post and fumed. She had shown such tenderness when she woke to find him in the throes of his nightmare, yet she had been sour as unripe fruit when he assumed that he would have a quick tumble before leaving. She was his wife now, after all. It was her _duty _to open her legs when he told her too.

He stood there until the sun had risen fully, and the immigrants passed by to board his ship.

The soldiers never came.


	23. Attempting Escape

Vanessa tugged on her slippers in an enraged fury. How could she be so _stupid_? Had she honestly believed that she could make the best out of this situation? He seemed so lost the day before that in her mind she saw the tragic heroes of some nameless pirate romance novel, and thought maybe she too could find love in a situation that it seemed unlikely. Stephen Bonnet was tragic, sure. The tragedy being that he actually existed. Hero? The idea made her snort. She had dressed herself in everything but the corset. The ties on the dress should be tighter, but the dress was secure enough not to fall off, thank God.

The bastard had taken all his money and various items with him, so even if she actually escaped she wouldn be penniless and fat chance she'd get far wearing bright blue silk fit for an occasion of some sort. She would seem very out of place on a dock, and would probably have to go right past Stephen. Having only one dress at a time was seriously screwing with her hygiene and state of mind. True, she'd bathed nightly using sea water, or rain water. But she would sell her soul for the modern day version of a bath tub at this point. _Mr. Bubble, how I miss thee._

She opened the door of the cabin and ran smack into Stewart. _Damn_.

Stewart turned around and glanced her over, his eyes rested at last on the cut in her lip from that asshole's teeth. "So, thinking of escape, are we now?"

Playing it off might help. Doubtful, but it might. "Escape? Me?" She put one hand up against her chest as though in shock that such a notion would pass through his head.

Stewart grinned at her, displaying yellowed teeth. Eew. He leaned against a cabin door and stared at her as though through intense thought, he could suck the truth out of her. "So, what did the good Captain do to ye that caused ye to tear into his cheek, and for him to strike ye back?"

"He didn't stri--" She paused, so it _was_ usual for Stephen Bonnet to hit women. Great, she married a wife beater. _See what an interest in bad boys will get you, Vanessa? It really does serve you right. _"He bit me, if you must know. He wanted to prove to me that he could overpower me. Point taken, now let me by."

Stewart's grin grew wider. He looked like the Cheshire Cat. "The Captain ordered ye to be kept bellow deck until we sail. Vanessa scoffed.

"Did he now?"

"Aye, he did."

"Is he here now?"

"Nay, he is on the docks awaiting the soldiers that you attracted the attention of so unwanted like."

"Then he wouldn't know if I went on deck for a moment would he."

Stewart laughed. "Aye, he would. Someone is bound to tell on ye if they see ye."

Vanessa sighed. "Fine. Can I have a gun?"

"A gun?"

"A gun."

Stewart's smile had vanished. "What ye be wanting a gun for?"

"To blow my own bloody brains out. Can I have a gun, _please_?"

"I don't think the Captain would appreciate my giving you a gun to blow yer bloody brains out in his cabin. Besides, ye may be lying and planning on shooting him with it. 'Tis mutiny, and though he is a hard Captain to come by, he always makes a decent profit and is a good Captain to sail with. Unless ye cross him, anyway."

"No one came blame you for mutiny if I kill him."

Stewart's eyes widened. "I kent it all along that ye was as evil as yon Captain."

"Are you Scottish?"

He stared at he warily. "My mother was, aye."

"Isn't it bad luck to have a woman on board a pirate ship?"

"Who told ye it were a pirate ship?" Stewart said, surprised.

"Stephen Bonnet."

Stewart chuckled. "Well, he's been charged with piracy sure, but 'pirate' is not the right word for us really. We are but merely smugglers."

"What's the difference."

Stewart sighed. "Are ye daft?"

"Possibly."

Standing up straight, he hustled her back into the cabin, and locked the door on her. "'Tis for your own good, miss. Wouldn't want ye to hurt yourself, now would we." With that she heard his footsteps retreat.


	24. Setting Sail

A/N:_ New looong chapter! (or longer than most anyway). Sorry for lack of updates, though I don't particularly know how many of you other than the 2 who have the story as a favorite are actually reading this, and review would be nice (consider this me begging for reviews)... but anyway, yes. Moving on, and the plot thicken, etc. The next three weeks will probably be stretched thin update wise, but once my summer break is here I am all yours. I think I have put my other stories on hiatus for this one, which makes my other stories sad but I already have the whole outline for this one done. So Now that I know everything that is going to happen, I just got to write it ;)_

* * *

Vanessa paced like a caged tiger. In no time at all she had memorized every pattern in the wood on the floor. She could move around this cabin with her eyes closed if she felt it necessary. The only furniture in the room was the bed which was in the far corner of the room, lengthwise against the large window that covered most of the back wall. On the same wall as the headboard was a writing desk, with a wooden chair that looked a bit warped. On the other side of the room was a small table and two more wooden chairs, a large chest (presumably with all that ogre's clothing and belongings in it), and a chamber pot in the corner. How boring.

It was still roomier than the cabin on the _Persephone_. That, at least, was saying something. She contemplated going through the chest and ripping apart his clothing; that despicable husband of hers. _Husband_. It still felt weird to think it, let alone say it.

She continued her rapid pacing when the ship lurched ever so slightly and she stumbled. _If I fall on my ass one more time…._

She went to the window, sitting on the end of the bed. The ship was setting sail. Her chance of escape was gone, and for the next two months she would be confined to a ship with no escape from one Captain Stephen Bonnet, ferocious smuggler and self-confessed pirate.

God, he planned to treat her as nothing more than a possession. She had been forced into a marriage and within twenty-four hours she had been reduced from a human being to a material object: something pretty that could be draped over his arm, and in private used to find his release, but not hers. He had given her an orgasm their wedding night, true, but he had confessed to being fast in sack. Which obviously was code for, _I blow my wad and then I'm done with naught to do for you, sweetheart_.

Vanessa realized with heartbreaking clarity that even after all the disillusionments she had as a child, in her time, of her future husband and her happy marriage she was being mocked by a higher power. She was married to a man who could never possibly love her. In fact, what happened to her when they reached the Colonies scared her. What if he sold her as a servant or slave; she didn't know how to do anything at all in this time. She was useless!

And everyone was afraid of Stephen Bonnet. Vanessa noticed that only Alec and Stewart ever spoke to him without being spoken to before hand. The crew kept their eyes lowered as they passed him, hoping to not seek his attention. The man radiated menace, and she was bound to it. The shackles were invisible, but there. Looking out at the sea as they slowly turned the ship towards the open sea, Vanessa wept. Not only for herself and the whole situation, but for him as well. What could have been so terrible to make him as he was? For his lost soul, Vanessa wept.

* * *

Stephen Bonnet's voice was going hoarse from shouting orders left and right. The sky was darkening now and the Isle of Sky was long out of sight. Soon they would be on the open ocean on their ways to the colonies. They would get rid of the cargo, and unruly wives, and everything would be right in the would again. His _wife_. How did he let that happen?

When he came back to the ship, Stewart had informed him that his wife wished for a pistol, presumably to shoot him with as he went to go to bed that night. The wench actually thought she would shoot him. He couldn't help but laugh to himself at the absurd thought of Vanessa trying to kill a man of his size.

But Vanessa and her murderous impulses was the least of his troubles. One of the men that paid to sail with them to the Colonies had vanished that morning and had only recently been missed. No doubt he went to find someone that would be fool enough to take advantage of Stephen Bonnet's new weakness. Vanessa would be in danger soon, and he felt it. It would be best to be rid of her as soon as they reach the Colonies. MacGregor, that be the man's name. Well, MacGregor is a fool he would have know trouble killing just for thinking of pulling one over on him.

Stewart came towards him now, looking sheepish. He had just gone to deliver Vanessa her dinner. He could only imagine what she said to him this time. Stewart tried to walk past him, pretending not to see him.

"Let me guess…. She bashed her head into the wall? No, she wouldn do that. Did she leap through the window and fall prey to the sharks?"

"Neither." Stewart said reluctantly.

"Neither?" Then why are ye actin' skittish?"

"Your wife…sir, she um… she found…."

Bonnet tapped his foot in impatience, and Stewart started to panic.

"She found the two bottles ye kept of brandy in your wee chest, and she drank all of it…. Sir."

"She _what_?" That was particularly hard to come by brandy that he had in there, he only got that particular brew twice in a year. If she had drank all of it…. He'd kill her with his bare hands.

"If it makes ye feel less inclined to bash somebody's head in, she _has_ been pissin' something like mad, she has. I had to empty the chamber pot for her; 'twas filled to the brim.

It did not particularly help his mood to know she'd be pissing over everything now. His lip curled into a sneer.

"Did she eat when you took her the food?"

Stewart nodded emphatically. "Aye, she ate like a starved beastie she did."

"Did ye know your Scotch accent comes out more when ye are nervous?" Bonnet asked.

"Does it? I had no' noticed."

Bonnet rubbed a hand over his face. Exhaling loudly, "Tell Alec to keep everything in order whilst I see to my drunkard wife."

Leaving Stewart in a nervous relief to still be intact, Bonnet hopped down to the lower deck, hardly touching the ladder at all.

* * *

Vanessa straightened her skirt and walked away from the chamber pot for the millionth time that afternoon. Brandy wasn't her whiskey, but it had the same effect -- only with more urine.

Flopping backward on to the bed she began to study the ceiling above her. How thick was the wood, how many planks made up the ceiling, and what kind of trees did it come from? Those and more questions passed through her mind. The empty brandy bottles beside her on the bed beckoned o be refilled and then drank all over again, but she could not grant their wish. Instead she closed her eyes wanting to accept the heavy cloud of bored-exhaustion that had swept over her.

As she had just closed her eyes the door slammed open. Vanessa opened one eye in annoyance. It was the ogre. Stewart had tattled, that weasel. Captain's Pet.

"Careful _dear_, don't move too quickly. There is a blood vessel in your forehead that looks like it may explode any moment now." She opened the other eye. "Like a little blood volcano."

He growled. It wasn't supposed to provoke the heat wave that coarsed through her, so she blamed the brandy. Because she was reasonable, but reasonable people do not feel attraction to unreasonable people. It had to be the fault of a third part, and brandy qualified.

He hadn't moved yet, but he did now, slamming the door behind him. "You. Drank. Both. Bottles."

"I am not stupid, I can understand you just fine. No need to enunciate."

Looking at her like she spoke to him in Greek, he crossed the room and seized both empty bottles. When he tipped them upside down to discover they were truly empty he growled again and threw them across the room. They hit the far wall in a crash and shattered. Great, see if she squatted over a chamber pot of broken glass. She'd piss in his clothes chest next, the oafish troll.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Vanessa asked sitting up, as difficult as it was due to the exhaustion in her bones.

"My problem? _My_ problem, ye say? That particular brandy is hard to come by and ye drank every last drop o' it!"

"Oh. Oh! Yes, the brandy." Standing up on wobbly legs to face him dead on, she continued. "Of course. The brandy. The valuable brandy is gone! Not 'why do you look ill today, Vanessa?' But 'why is the brandy gone!' The alcohol is what is important to you, but not the eighteen year old woman that you forced to marry you only to rape her the following morning and then leave her locked in a cabin the entire day with nothing to do. There is nothing to read, there is nothing to watch save the sky and sea out the window, and there is nobody to talk to. It is enough to drive someone mad! So I really hope the soldiers were satisfied with that piece of paper stating I am legally bound to you so that you could have a clear conscious about fucking me, since you had plenty of chances before hand to rape me as you did this morning but didn't." She sat back down on the bed, with a scowl. "You…you…son of a bitch!" She hadn't noticed at which particular point she had started to cry. She had basically kept her tears from him until now, unable to hold them in any longer.

Stephen Bonnet looked uncomfortable, and completely unsure of what to do in this situation. "The soldiers. They never came."

"W-what?"

"I stood there all morning' and they never showed their pasty faces."

Sitting down beside her, Stephen looked a bit frail. Large, but frail. Comfort was something he was unfamiliar with and it felt strange to have his sit down next to her in what appeared to be the start of an act of comfort. "If they had any decency to them, they would not have let me take you back to my ship. English soldiers are fools."

"No. They believed your lie. I _cannot_ believe they believed that stupid lie!"

"I am a convincing liar, sweetheart. That I canno' help." He said with a hint of a smile. It should not cheer her up, but it warmed her a little.

"Stephen?" Vanessa asked, rather shyly. He cocked a brow in question, but before he could know what to expect she leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt his body go completely still.

"What are…"

"I'm scared, Stephen." She said again in a near whisper. "I only wanted to translate he runes on the stones, not go through them. I didn't mean to go through them. I-I didn't know. I didn't know."

* * *

Stephen didn't know how she ended up in his lap, in his arms, weeping. He was shocked at himself for whispering reassuring words to her, even if all they were consisted of "Hush now, sweetheart." He couldn't tell her thing would get better, that things would be alright, because deep in the darkness of his heart he knew things would not turn out peaceful for her. For either of them.

He had no idea what she had meant by stones and the runes, but it was something that haunted her thoughts enough to seek him out for comfort. And since when did he give it!

She had cried herself to sleep, trusting him completely not to hurt her. He stood up with her in his arms and turned to place her in the bed, under the covers. It was full dark now and the moonlight highlighted her face and hair, making her look like an angel. And he was naught but a devil, completely not deserving any of her trust or caring. He'd already began corrupting her. It seemed wrong. He should put her in another cabin and not look at her again, but she seemed to want to trust him. Nobody had ever wanted to have anything to do with him if it didn't gain them something in return.

He had to go back on deck and see to things, but he didn't understand why he didn't want to leave the spot he was in. He didn't want to go. But Stephen Bonnet, with one look back, left her there in the moonlight. He would not corrupt her any longer with his presence.


	25. After a Week

He'd avoided her like the plague for a week. When he did speak to her it was brief and impersonal, only to command her to do this or that. He hadn't bothered to touch her at all. If she happened to roll against him in bed, he'donlyroll away from her. And that was when he actually slept. Since they had set sail, he slept very little at all. Vanessa began to wonder if she had said or done something that had overstepped the boundaries, but what could possibly cause the infuriating Stephen Bonnet to retreat from associating with her?

Truth be told, her memories of the first night aboard the _Freya_ were cloudy at best. She had a strong feeling she wept on him, but the only thing she remembered for certain was yelling at him. Which wasn't anything particularly new, but weeping on him might possibly be. Vanessa wondered to herself had any other woman been so bold as to cry on him. _Yeah, like any would have dared to get close enough to._

Vanessa snorted as she realized she was dwelling upon his ignoring her yet again. She should be thrilled that he hadn't wanted to spend unbearable amounts of time with her and that he didn't seem to interested in taking advantage of their shared bed. She had even made a few acquaintances above deck, since he was allowing her to leave the cabin finally. There was a couple of young brides aboard, going to the Colonies with their new husbands. There was fair head, tall Amanda, who was only sixteen! Vanessa was aware that they used to marry early, but good God! Then again she was only eighteen herself.

Amanda, along with Suzie and Elizabeth, had instantly bonded with Vanessa. Being a shy person, their approach of Vanessa had been a relief to her; she honestly didn't think she could handle another boring boattrip with only Stephen to talk to, or Stewart and Alec who were constantly suspicious of her. Suzie and Elizabeth were both in their early twenties, and Suzie being the same size as Vanessa had given her a dress to wear on board to keep the blue silk from the damage of sea water.

Vanessa's suspiciously over thoughtful husband had thought to buy some extra material for her to make her own dresses assuming that Vanessa knew how to sew. Elizabeth, Amanda, and Suzie who all did in fact know how, being the true women of the eighteenth century they were, and were ecstatic to have found a task that they could contribute to other than just sitting around. Of all the female passengers, the three of them and Vanessa were the only non-mothers, and were in fact bored out of their minds while the men helped ensure the ship was sailing properly, ropes and sails were secure, and everything was all in order.

Elizabeth was tall, with vivid red hair and pale, freckled skin. She was pretty, but not the drop dead gorgeous that would usually turn a man's head. She had married a Scotsman by the name of Braden Grant. She had a strong Irish lilt to her voice, and Vanessa became unconsciously aware that she was constantly comparing Elizabeth's pronunciations of words with Stephen Bonnet's. She'd been startled to discover that Elizabeth knew she was doing that, and had become flustered when she was called on it a few days earlier.

"Ye are rather fond of how your man talks to ye, eh?"

"W-what do you mean?" Vanessa asked, taken completely by surprise.

"There are times when I will say something and you get a far-away dreamy look on your face." Elizabeth said with an air of supreme intelligence about her that made Vanessa blush. Surely, she was completely all wrong about it.

"Oh really? What words would you say I do that with?"

"Ye did it just the hour past when I called that young lad, Emily's son , Herbert, a 'sweetheart.'"

There was no denying it. Her mind has registered the word "sweetheart" with any hint of an Irish lilt to it as reference to herself. She felt her face flame. "I honestly don't know what you are going on about. I would care less if he fell dead off this ship right now."

Suzie, who had just walked up to the pair of them, who were at the time sitting alone in the galley, gasped in shock. "But lass, your husband is the Captain. Surely he is a frightening man, I'll give ye that, but I have seen the looks he gives ye when ye are not looking at him. He cares for ye. Truly ye do not have such mutiny thoughts about yer own husband?"

Vanessa tried to ignore the comment of his looking at her as though he cared, Suzie was only saying that because she thought it helped. Wasn't she? "Well, perhaps not die until we reach land. I don't believe Alec, the first mate, is particularly fond of me and might make me walk the plank."

Elizabeth snickered. "You make them sound like a ship of pirates."

Suzie added in an undertone. "Well the Captain, no offense lass," she added hastily to Vanessa who shrugged with indifference, "he is big and surly enough to be a pirate. His apparel is a bit fancier than most pirates, but some have been known to appear a perfect gentleman."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Braden would no' have taken us aboard a pirate ship. Captain Bonnet is a frightening man, surely, but I just can't see him as a pirate. Besides, I don't even think this ship has any cannons on it, and everyone knows pirate ships have cannons."

Vanessa had been biting her tongue for the past few exchanges and couldn't bear it any longer. "Well there is one cannon in the cargo hold. It is hidden in case we get ambushed, sowe could fight them back. And my husband," She paused, the word _husband_ still made her feel as though she was imagining it, "he is a skilled swordsman, or so he says. Personally I have never seen him cross swords with anyone, but he looks scary enough without doing so."

Suzie twirled a dark brown curl in her finger and her green eyes shone to show that her overactive imagination was in full gear. "Aye, he would be a fearsome man in a swordfight no doubt. My John would no doubt wet himself if he knew he as to cross swords with that man. No offense lass."

"None taken. The brute is an ogre. Though I have reason to believe he is just using that troll impression he does so well as a façade."

All of them giggled.

Today however, Vanessa was sitting on an empty crate that was near the quarterdeck, along side Suzie, Elizabeth, and Amanda while they worked on one of her dresses. Amanda was in the process of trying to show Vanessa how to sew stockings for herself and Stephen, and how to mend rips. Amanda was constantly moaning on and on about how a married woman of ten and eight could not even mend a rip, while herself at ten and six already finished half of her own shroud. As disturbing as that was, Vanessa didn't comement on it and forced the thought of sewing one's own burial garment out of her mind.

Vanessa's attention however was focused on Stephen Bonnet. He and Stewart had just appeared on the quarterdeck discussing a leak in the cargo. Stephen turned to face starboard, and his eyes looked with hers. Not even five seconds later he ripped his eyes away again, as though he hadn't even seen her there.

That's it. Vanessa wasn't particularly fond of the man, but she wasn't going to sit about ignored either. She was going to get to the bottom of this tonight if it killed her.


	26. Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands

He came in the cabin late that night, or possibly very early the next morning. Without a watch, time was so hard to tell. Vanessa had been sleeping in her cotton shift the past week out of spite, but even that didn't phase him. So tonight she went back to sleeping naked. If she had to act like a complete harlot, she was going to get some answers out of Stephen Bonnet, so help her God.

Stephen came in and stripped. Vanessa watched him from slits, hidden by her lashes. He looked weary, as though he hadn't slept in days. He had slept but for maybe an hour or two at a time, sometimes only once in two days. He took a long swig from a bottle he had brought with him and exhaled sharply. Then as quick as lightening his gaze darted to the bed like a falcon hunting a mouse. Vanessa remained as still as possible, forcing herself to breathe slowly as though she was in fact asleep. She saw Leroi stiffen as he saw her laying on top of the covers naked. She wanted to laugh, really she did, but she kept her control. Serves him right if she continued to feign sleep and let him suffer.

She realized suddenly that she'd been staying too still. She was known for her tossing and turning, so with a wicked inner chuckle, she turned slowly on to her back, stretching luxuriously in the process, with a light sigh. She heard his breathing quicken. _Ha ha. Loser. So, you want a piece of this, do you? To bad you have been acting like I don't exist, stupid ass_.

Vanessa still hadn't figured out why exactly she was so bitter about it, but she had accepted that she was. It was only fair she torture him now, after he'd royally pissed her off so many times prior.

She had just realized she had closed her eyes as she stretched, when she felt his presence close to her right. Through her lashes, in her peripheral, she saw him standing there watching her, hovering over the bed like a stalking incubus. His jaw was set, as though he was having a major inner conflict. _To bone, or not to bone…..that _really_ is the question, isn't it?_

Feeling completely devilish, Vanessa thought that she must torment him further. Turning back on to her side facing him, she let her left arm rest on her side just enough that the palm of her hand laidlightlyover her breast. She sighed again. She wasn't sure if she had heard him groan or a sound above deck. She rolled back on to her back, hand still over her breast, only when she was fully on her back she let it slowly run down the mound of her breast, and lightly over the flesh of her stomach to rest on the spot where her thigh joint met with her pelvis. Her fingers were resting on her pubic hairs, and she felt mighty wicked about it to. Was that his teeth grinding or her own?

"Vanessa? Are you awake?"

Silence.

He sighed, and climbed into the bed beside her. The jackass actually, covered himself up to cut off body contact. Two could play this game. She stretched again, and lazily mummered "Stephen?"She rolled toward him enough to place one hand on his covered chest and drape a calf over one of his own. He muttered a curse. She feigned waking up, blinking a few times as though adjusting to the darkness in the room. "It is you. I didn't think you would be coming to bed tonight."

"And why wouldn' I be comin' to my own bed?" He sounded agitated.

She faked a yawn. "I don't know, you just haven't rested much. You've been looking terrible for it too."

He grunted.

Obviously she was going to have to go to desperate measures. "It's gotten cold in here. It was so warm earlier, but now….brrr. Don't hog the covers, would ya." She slid under the covers and snuggled in at his side. Luckily her toes were like ice cubes, cuz he started when her feet touched his leg.

"Acckkkk! Ye have icicles as toes!"

She couldn't help but laugh. "I know; I am friggin' cold. Would you mind warming me?" She said it as innocently as she could manage, but it had the effect she had hoped for. He started to breath heavy again, and did nothing more than look at her to see if she had meant something other than just warmth. She laid a hand on his thigh and he cursed. Apparently that was all he needed, because before she could even blink he was on top of her.

* * *

Five or six minutes later he laid limp and spent on top of her. His forehead had broken out in sweat during his exertion and it laid nestled between her neck and shoulder. Vanessa glared at the ceiling. This wouldn't do. This would not do at all!

Just as she had started to really get into it, he'd finished. The bastard wasn't lying about speed. Unfortunately, she wasn't about to let this go on every time. She groaned. The oaf was heavy. "Stephen? I can't exactly breathe."

"Eh? Oh." He rolled off. He had his eyes closed, apparently planning to use sleep as an excuse to ignore her again. A well executed moan on her behalf caused them to fly open again.

_What the hell was she… oh my._ Stephen's eyes had trailed down from her face the place that had just satisfied the lust he'd been harvesting for a week. She was pleasuring herself. He could not believe it and could not for the life of him tear his eyes away.

She moaned again, and he felt himself slowly start to stiffen again. It wasn't possible. 'Twas too soon, surely. Yet how could that not excite Leroi to attention. "What are you doing?" he asked in a husky, exhausted voice.

She paused. Looking at him shyly. "Oh, you're still awake, are you? What does it _look_ like I am doing?"

He didn't answer, only stared at her stilled hand between her legs.

She sighed, "Well seriously, you are just going to thrust a few times and then be done, my body takes longer than that to be satisfied, so if you are going to neglect to do it, I am going to have to take it into my own hands….as a matter of speaking."

He licked his lips.

"Now, go back to sleep. You are obviously too tired to be kept awake by silly female ramblings, I am attending to myself, and I don't need you. Sleep, will you."

"Ye think I can sleep after seein' that!"

She shrugged and started back at her task. On an impulse Stephen reached a hand and covered hers. She stilled and gaped at him. He wouldn't let her off that easily though. Keeping his hand over hers, he guided her back to her task and got more and more aroused with each stroke. Not being able to take it any longer he rolled back onto her.

"Again?" She asked, shocked.

"Aye." He said.

And so they did it again, but this time he did it right. They slept like the dead afterwards.


	27. Secrets of the Past

Stephen Bonnet woke up a few hours later as the sun was starting to shine over the horizon. Vanessa was lying her head on his chest slightly snoring, with a look of contented bliss on her face. The woman was foolish. There was little else to be said; she was out of her mind.

He had the impulse to shove her off of him and leap to his feet, yet he stayed completely still gazing at her calm face. She had a little trail of freckles over her nose that was only noticeable up close. Her fair hair was spread over his chest, creating a comforting warmth of it's own.

_What the hell are ye going on about? Have you lost your mind as well!_ Maybe he was going mad. He was still in awe of Vanessa's unexpected actions the night before. Stephen wondered if she had been awake the entire time he'd been in the room or if she had truly been awakened by his movement on to the bed. He suspected the bedeviled woman had been playing with him the entire time, making little sighs and lying her hand upon her own breast just to torture him. Then she had been so sore about his going quickly. He thought women preferred the act to be done quickly. He'd met many a whore who portrayed small signs of fear in meeting with him, only to leave relieved that he went quick. And Vanessa, was she not the one who demanded he get it over with their marriage night? He'd never understand women at all.

He'd charmed may of women in his youth, sure. But that was before he went to sea as a sailing man. If it wasn't for those men in Inverness showing him how meaningless and mortal his life really was, he might have gone a different path. There were many young women in Inverness who had batted their eyes and thrown a suggestive smile his way, and he had taken them up on it too. None of them had ever complained; but he had never bedded any of them a second time. He knew that women took their pleasure from men and knew how to give it to them, but in the actual act not one woman had ever told him he was too fast, let alone tel him that he was doing it wrong because he was a quick tumble. She hadn't actually told him in words he was doing it wrong, but it was implied in the fact that she thought she had to pleasure herself after he was done to finish what he could not do. Did Vanessa expect him to go slow every time? How could a man do it! With her sitting their pleasuring herself beside him, it was all he could do not to spill his seed all over himself watching her!

Stephen laid their frustrated. She wanted him to go slowly and satisfy her as well as himself. Why the hell should he? What did he have to prove to her? Why should he even give damn if she drifted off to sleep afterwards as sated and spent just as he? Why was he even considering any of this? So many questions! She had him questioning every little thing he knew in life, of himself, and he was actually considering it!

_Because when you do give her pleasure you actually feel like you are alive._ He dismissed the thought as fast as it had come to him. He felt plenty alive. A good, clean whore, brandy, and a good fight and he was alive as ever.

He glared atVanessa as she let out a particularly loud snore. No wonder he had woken up; she could wake the dead snoring like that. He stretched and rolled to get out of bed. Vanessa groaned and opened her eyes into squints against the now bright cabin. "You're going to go back to ignoring me aren't you?"

There was no denying it. He _had_ been avoiding her as much as possible. She was making him think too much, and as soon as he was rid of her he could go back to how he was. He enjoyed being Stephen Bonnet, and being a husband was a part of his persona he was not keen about.

"Ignoring….you?" He feigned surprise and she knew it well by the look on her face.

"For a week you've done nothing but act as though I didn't exist. It is quite annoying."

"You seem to be getting on nicely with those other shipwives, darlin', didn't think you really needed me to order ye about and _rape_ you."

"You didn't…. oh yeah. Well, maybe I've forgiven you -- sorta -- since I did kinda cause it by instigating it all with challenging your dignity and all that."

"Oh, ye realize that all _now, _sure." Stephen said really uneasily. She'd forgiven him for acting like a famished beast? She _was_ wrong in the head.

She rolled her eyes. And slid comfortably back beneath the covers with a shudder. "How can you stand there naked like that when it is freezing in here? Don't you want to put off your responsibilities for just a while longer; they aren't going to leap off the ship if you rest for like one more hour."

"And what do you purpose I did in a bed for an hour to shuck my responsibilities, sweetheart? Surely, ye do no' want to do it again?" What was she playing at now?

She blushed. "What? No! I didn't mean…oh GOD! How much of a raging slut was I last night?"

"How wanton were ye?" He laughed. "Well, if it were daylight when I had came across ye, I may have actually turned red in the face."

Vanessa blushed more. She then persisted to stammer for a few moments before regaining her composure, "Uh… anyway, I meant for you to stay and talk some before you went back up there."

He scowled. "Talk? Ye want me to talk to you? About what?"

She cringed at his reaction. "I don't know; something. Anything. I don't know anything about you, really."

He laughed again. "Ye know more of me than I do of you, sweetheart."

She sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway, so why does it matter?"

Against his better judgment, Stephen crawled back under the covers. It was really cold in the cabin, better to get this over with in warmth than to let Leroi shrivel off with the cold sea air.

With an exasperated sigh, Stephen addressed the ceiling more than he did her, "What do ye want to know then, darlin'?"

In the corner of his eye he saw her face brighten into a smile. So she liked getting her way, did she?

"What part of Ireland are you from?" She said eagerly, resting on an elbow to look down at him.

"Sligo."

"OOO! Like Yeats. Is it really misty there?" His heart lightened some at her eagerness to know the place he had lived as a child. And it inwardly disgusted him; surely that was what the knot in his belly was, and nothing else.

"At times, at times. Who the hell is this 'Yeats'?"

"You know the po- oh yeah, he's not born yet." Then she cursed and bit her lip.

"Not born yet?" Stephen gazed at her speculatively. "Just _what_ do ye mean by that?"

"Um. Nothing." She looked away. "Don't you have…things to do now?"

"Ye want me to go now? After ye just begged me to stay? Are you satisfied with anything at all? Ever?"

"If I tell you what I meant by that you would think I am mad."

"I already think ye are mad. And that ye are driving me mad."

Vanessa gapped at him. "I am driving _you_ mad?"

"Aye. By all these strange comments you make and then say if you explain them I will think ye mad. Since I already do think so, ye might as well tell me. Besides, darlin', you have already asked something of my past, it is only fair for every piece of my past ye get, I get one of yours in return."

"Fine."

"Aye. Fine. So you know I was from Sligo. Where are you from? I can't particularly place your accent."

"Accent? I have an accent? Hmm…. Anyway I was born in North Carolina, but before long we moved to Savannah where I currently…well, was currently living."

"The Colonies then? How did ye end up in the north?"

"Uh, uh. My turn to ask a question." She waited till after he grumbled to continue. "How did you decide you wanted to sail the ocean?"

"My parents died when I was young, I forget my age. I became a cabin boy to survive."

"That's awful! How did they die?"

"How did ye end up in the north?"

Vanessa scoffed. "This is setting a bit annoying. I had just gradu- finished my learning, and decided to take a….pleasure trip to Scandinavia to see the land the Vikings had called home. I was always interested in their pagan beliefs and culture. How did your parents die?"

"They were ill."

"I'm sorry. That must have been terrifying as a child to lose your parents."

Stephen wanted to scoff at her, but her sympathy actually warmed him some. He didn't mourn the loss of his parents any longer, but still he wondered if he would be different if they had lived .

"Why do you not want to tell me about yourself?"

She stilled. "I…because it is complicated."

"I am sure it is, sweetheart. Just tell me."

"Okay, but you aren't going to believe me."

"Try me."

* * *

Vanessa rolled onto her back so she didn't have to face him. "I don't want to tell you because nothing that I know has come to happen yet. I lived in Savannah at the end of the twentieth century. Where I am from it is 1993. I was on vacation in Norway, got lost from my tour group and I found a cave. Inside was a circle of stones. I went through them somehow and I was in this century. Anya and a group of women found me because they knew about the stones, and their powers. They wanted to send me a land I was familiar with and knew the history of somewhat. And that is why you were paid to take me to the Colonies."

She closed her eyes hoping his laugh wouldn't be cruel and unbearable, but it never came. She felt him slid out the bed and heard him move about the room. She heard the door open and close. He had walked out on her.

Vanessa wondered to herself if he would be able to look at her again without seeing her as insane.

* * *

Stephen reached the ladder without seeing it. She was mad. She was really quite out of her mind. Did she expect him to believe that she had went back through time. _Well you did think she seemed to belong to a time other than this._

He climbed the ladder only to come face to face with Alec who was on his way down to get him.

"Capt'n Bonnet, sir. I was just coming to find ye. There is a ship in the distance. Looks to be English."

Stephen Bonnet cursed. If this had anything to do with MacGregor or those soldiers that told him he needed to marry Vanessa…. But of course it would. He knew it would be. He knew it would happen eventually if anyone had received word he had married. They would try to take her from him and then take him to the gallows.

"Ready the cannon. If they are no' a threat then we won't be needin' it, but then again we might."

Alec nodded and hurried off to gather men to help ready the cannon that was in the hold below, near the front of the ship. There was a window on both sides of the ship to aim it if it was needed, and though he didn't want any threats to his ship and it's cargo; secretly he needed to dish out some violence. He'd been holding in his violent nature for the past few weeks and he needed to let loose. Let them come and try to board his ship, turning back toward his cabin he went to collect his sword. He already had his pistol on him, but the feel of a sword in his hand was one he cherished.


	28. Betrayal

The ship was approaching at a rapid pace. Ithad long ago beenclose enough to fire upon, but Stephen Bonnet didn't want to fire unless he was for sure they were going to try to attack him first, or board his ship. If it wasn't for the large amount of cargo he would fire at the ship with out a second thought.

Surely the cargo was the reason, and not the woman he had standing at his side currently.

Vanessa had been getting dressed when he had gone back to get his sword. When she had seen the reason she'd come back she had assumed it was to rid himself of her, like he would kill her for making up crazy tales to hide whatever was in her past. Well alright, maybe he would do something like that, but he wouldn't kill her. Not yet anyway. She was hiding something. She hadn't said a word, and neither had he, but he did notice. The morning after their marriage consummation the sheets were bloodless. She had felt and acted like a virgin, but virgins bleed. The woman did not bleed, but then why would she lie? It had been dwelling on his mind, but he hadn't cared much about it either way until she made up that tale about being from the future. Yeah, she was from the future, and he'd be named King of Ireland.

Still he didn't want Vanessa in his cabin while there was a threat of an attack. If they boarded his ship he could protect his property better seeing it. His cabin was a giant target as it was that moment, and if they did fire on them, being in a room with one extremely large window was a cry to be shot if you asked him.

She shifted uneasily next to him as a British soldier called out to them as they came up beside them.

"Captain Bonnet! In the name of the crown, we request the right to board your ship!"

"Oh, is that so? And what if I tell ye no?" Stephen said with a leer.

"Then we will be forced to fire upon your ship and sink it. Don't be foolish; we are aware of your reputation, sir, and we wish to negotiate with you." The ship was closer.

"Aye, Negotiate then. I will not have yez on my ship without knowing what it is ye seek." Bonnet crossed his arms and held the soldier's gaze with a fierce, cold, green glare. The soldier looked down instantly.

"We have come for the woman, sir. The woman that is now presumably your wife."

Vanessa gasped beside him, and his own heart skipped a beat. He had known it was going to happen. It was just a lot sooner than he actually thought it would be.

"She's a lovely thing, sure. What I want to know is why your fellow soldiers demanded I marry her if now you lot are wanting her for yourselves."

The soldier sighed, tiring of this exchange. "Look, all we want is the woman. Give her to us and we will pretend we never came across your vessel and it's smuggled cargo. Refuse, and we sink the ship, arrest you, take her anyway, and hang you as soon as we reach London."

Stephen Bonnet laughed. "If ye do it in that order, sir, ye will have a difficult time capturing any of us as the ship has been sunken."

The soldier turned red. He turned to give the orders to fire on the ship, but Stephen cut in with "Wait. Just why exactly are you wanting my wife for anyway? Plan to sell her to a brothel? Use her for your own pleasure? Think you that a ransom will ever be paid?"

"A man from your ship came to us with interesting information. He said that the notorious smuggler, Stephen Bonnet, had taken a wife. Surely the woman didn't wed you by choice. Our informant was quite detailed in his description of how she tried to avoid you, and yet you forced her to remain with you in your cabin before the marriage ever occurred. We are only going to insure the women gets mistreated no further."

"And you won't mess with the cargo, my passengers or sailors, or myself when ye board?"

"Nay."

"Fine then. Come and take her."

Vanessa stared at him in shock, and what appeared to be utter betrayal.


	29. Go To Hell, Stephen Bonnet

Vanessa could not believe it.

He was handing her over to the British soldiers after forcing her to marry himin order tokeep her from going with them in the first place. He was infuriating! Worse than that! She wanted to kill him.

"Come now, darlin'. Let's see to getting your dresses to go." Stephen said lightly.

"Unbelievable." She muttered. "This is unbelievable." He was staring at her now, expecting her to scream at him and make a scene. She didn't want to make a scene because she knew he expected it of her, but it couldn't be helped. "You are unbelievable! You wretched…man! You… you…. Troll! You... COWARD!"

He was bright red with fury from the last insult; it was probably the only one with merit in his mind. "Would ye rather risk the lives of every single soul on board this ship?" He hissed it through his teeth, which he beared at her.

Vanessa looked over to where Elizabeth, Amanda, and Suzie stood with their husbands. The were pale with shock themselves, and Suzie was crying.

Vanessa hated Stephen Bonnet. He could have at least fought harder to keep her as well.

"I hope your left testicle shrivels and falls off you heartless son of a bitch." She growled at him and walked down to the lower deck, to gather her few belongings.Ogre-brain followed her.

As she reached the cabin he shoved her in, slammed the door shut when they got inside, and then he pinned her against the closed door.

"What the fu-" he kissed her greedily. At first she was too shocked to do anything. But then her rage came back, and she saw red. Vanessa bit into his lip with all she had in her, she wagered it'd leave a good hole like he had previous left in hers -- which was almost healed, there was still a small scab on her inner bottom lip.

Stephen howled and pushed away from her. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Me? What's wrong with _me_? You are the one giving me to the English soldiers! And you think what, one last _tumble,_" she mocked, "before I go. I don't think so. If you thought you were ever going to touch me again, you lost yourright to do so when you gave me up. You disgust me. Right now, the very sight of you makes me ill. I'm actually glad I am leaving this ship because the sooner I see the last of your face the better." She turned, opened the door, and stormed out of his cabin and out of his life.

* * *

Stephen Bonnet came up the ladder a few moments after her with a leather bag with her belongings in it. His lip was bleeding fiercely, and he felt the surprised stares as they realized she had some how struck him, again, while this timeshe remained unblemished. If it had been any other woman to take a bite out of him,she would be seeing backward by now. Yet he couldn't find it in him to use violence against her, but he wanted to _so_ badly. She was right, he was disgusting. She needed to get of this ship and away from him so he could have control over himself again.

By the timeStephen had made it back on board, the English soldiers had just managed to get a gangplank from their ship to his . Before the soldier could even start his way across, Vanessa boldly took it upon her self to storm over to the other ship. She didn't look down at the waves below, she didn't look back at him, and she didn't even send for her things which were still in his hands. She stopped to talk to the solider a moment. Afterwards the gangplank was slid back on board their ship and another pair of soldiers escorted her away from his sight.

"I hope ye are happy now, Captain Bonnet." A female voice came from his left. It was the tall, youngone Vanessa had called Amanda. "Vanessa was a mighty fine lass, and ye didn't even fight for 'er!" The woman's husband was tugging at her arm now, to no avail, trying to get her away before she did something they would all regret… well maybe not him, but they would.

"Ye are wed, for God's sake, _wed_! Ye have sworn to cherish and protect her until death do ye both part; and ye are just goin' to _give_ her to some soldiers. Ye are despicable." She slapped him.

His vision darkened and he back handed her in return. She landed with a thud at her husband's feet. Her husband, he could not recall the man's name at the moment, stared at Bonnet in fear. Probably he thought they were both dead now, but he felt that if he got in a murderous state he'd go berserk and kill half the ship in a temper tantrum. He walkedaway to bewhere nobody was at. Her leaving was for the best, truly it was.

He realized then he was still holding her bag of clothes.


	30. The Cannon

Vanessa was taken to a small cabin with only a tiny cot inside it. The soldier that had been talking to her husbad, Captain Randolph, had been amused by her insisting that they should have come sooner and that they were morons for letting them get this far. There weren't too many people on board, enough soldiers and sailors to man the ship and fight if need be, but the number was reasonably smaller that that of the _Freya_. It could be because of the emigrants, but Vanessa didn't really dwell on it. Every one stared at her as she walked past. She realized with uneasy certainty she was the only female on the ship.

She didn't know what she felt. She was amused in part that they had chased them down to get her now when is seemed apparent that she was doomed to be with Bonnet forever -- or until he tired of her. Which was evidently that day. She was partly hurt that he had put up no real fight to keep her after he had held a knife at her back to get her into this situation to begin with. And she was partly terrified of what was to happen to her now.

Captain Randolph's menleft her in the cabin, assuring her she was completely safe now, _yada yada yada_. The cabin was the size of an outhouse. Smelled like one too. Wrinkling her nose, she sat in ball in the center of the cot.

Vanessa's nose was slowly accustoming itself to the horrific smell when the cabin door opened again to admit a chubby, grotesque looking man that she could have sworn she had seen once before. She arched a brow at him.

"Hello, ma'am --er, Mrs. Bonnet." He said awkwardly.

"Uh… you don't have to call me that." Vanessa said, remembering the edgy speech Stephen had given about her not publicly taking that name. She wondered why she was acknowledging his wish that she not refer to herself as such in this current situation seeing how the whole ship knew anyway. Speaking of the ship, the _Triton_ was at its wit's end. She was suspicious as to why they would chose the crappiest ship the English navy possibly had to _rescue_ her with. Things were getting fishy.

The ugly, chubby dude smiled. He had brown teeth, and one of the front ones was missing. Eew. She assumed she had been blessed somewhat that Stephen had decent teeth. They weren't pearly white, and probably were not very healthy considering the sea diet of starch and meat. The occasional fruit and vegetables he would eat while on shore probably helped some. But they weren't turning brown and weren't very yellowy, and he still had all of them. So what if they weren't perfectly white; for this time period they were reasonable enough. If his teeth were down right disgusting she would have thrown herself overboard before willing kissing the man. _Whyyyyy... are you thinking about his teeth?_ She dropped her eyes immediately.

Vanessa attempted to keep her eyes from looking at his mouth; it was hard.

"Oh, Aye, ma'am. I understand ye'll be wanting to rid your name of that wicked devil first thing."

"Erm.. I guess. Pardon me for jumping to the chase here, but why are you here?"

The man stared at his feet, and clasped his hands behind his back. She felt a twinge of guilt when she wondered how much of a struggle it was to link his hands back there. "Oh. I am James MacGregor. Your rescue was put together promptly after your…husband… announced ye were wed. I was on the _Freya_ at the time, and seeing how ye were not particularly fond of the man before then I kent he forced marriage on ye. Ye won't have to worry about Stephen Bonnet ever again, ma'am. He'll be taken care of and ye will be free to remarry."

The hairs rose on the back of her neck. "What do you mean by that?"

"Once we get a good firing distance between us, we are going to sink his ship."

"You are going to sink his…" she burst out laughing, making MacGregor fidgety.

"I was certain ye would be relieved." He apparently mistaken her laughter as hysterical happiness.

Vanessa struggled to breath. "Y-your…ship…is….ran..d-down. Hahaha! He… w-will….sink you…before…y-you.. Even realize…he..heehee…has fired back!"

MacGregor's face paled. He was still afraid of Stephen Bonnet, and even more so now having betrayed him. Twice.

"OH! They told him they would leave him alone if he handed me over." Vanessa leered at MacGregor who visibly cowered. _You've got to be kidding. I am intimidating to a chubby, mutinous, rotten-toothed, ugly man? _

"Aye. We lied."

"Why would you lie to him?"

"Because, the thing about Stephen Bonnet is that he will only give up something that is his if it would benefit him in someway. In this case, his life or yours. He chose to spare his own and handing you over to us. "

Blast the man for having a point. "Assuming that Stephen…Bonnet does not sink us immediately after you look as though you might fire upon his ship, what do you people plan on doing with me?"

"Well ye would have to remarry, of course."

Vanessa snorted. "Oh yes, I am going to watch you drown my current unwanted husband and take on another as soon as the gurgling stops?"

MacGregor shifted uneasily again. "Ye have a knack of making everything I say incredibly morbid."

"You have no idea. I could do so all day. Now if you don't have anything worth telling me, leave me. This day has been increasingly exhausting."

"Aye. Well, I take it ye dinna want to watch us sink the _Freya_ then?"

For one I made friends with some of the women on that ship, and two he wouldn't allow you to sink him if you really stood a chance."

"Ye are holding the man in awfully high regards. I thought ye hated him."

"I do hate him!" She had said it too quickly. She wanted to slap the smug look off MacGregor's face, but she didn't want to touch him. "It's just, this ship…The _Triton_. Well, it looks like it has seen past its prime. The _Freya_ is still in very good condition. This ship would go down faster than the _Freya_ would by a long shot.

As Vanessa smiled smugly in return to the look of realization crossing MacGregor's face, a great force hit the _Triton_ causing the ship to shake. Vanessa's head hit the wall with a loud thump. MacGregor's large body collapsed on the cot next to her, face down. Somewhere above her she heard a soldier cry out "We've been hit! The fool has fired upon us! Where in bleeding hell did they get a cannon!"

MacGregor looked up with her with a look of dread. If Bonnet stepped foot on this ship, MacGregor was a dead man, and he knew it. Better he le the ship sink, than allow Bonnet a reason to board the ship at all. The new gleam in his eye alarmed her.

"Sorry to have tae do this, ma'am, but I may value my life about as much as Bonnet does his. Unfortunately yours is what is standing between the two of us at the moment. Ye live, one of us has to die. He problem is he is a skilled fighter, while I am not. Ye die, and he has no reason to stay and fight."

Vanessa sputtered. "B-but if I die, he will surely sink your ship anyway out of spite."

"Why should he; he gave ye up. If he had cared for ye in anyway he would never have done that."

"Well there's the paradox of it then. If he didn't care about me at all, would he truely pick a fight now?"

"Yes."

"Fuck."

Without a further word MacGregor grabbed her with a grubby hand, and pulled out a pistol. With it pointed at her, he pulled through the cabin door and lead her back on deck.


	31. Rescue: Stephen Bonnet Style

_I am guessing a review or two is just a lost hope now, eh? sigh oh well, I know that there is a lot of hit that go through all the chapters and there is a least 6 of you who read it all the way through so I am going to assume that it is so good that you can't formulate words, oryou are embrassessed to be enjoying Stephen Bonnet so much :P It's okay though, I can forfiet feedback as long as I am the source of you all's guilty pleasure. New chapter is up, as you can see, so enjoy it. Lots more to come; I know Vanessa and Stephen's whole story now, I just got figure out how to put it in writing. :)

* * *

_

Vanessa didn't want to make it too easy on him, but after another hard shake from a cannon ball, being on deck seemed safer than bellow since that bastard she had ended up married to didn't care if she was in the part of the ship he blew holes in. She kept envisioning the ship sinking with her on it.

MacGregor shoved her along while keeping the pistol at her temple. She would stop abruptly just to peeve him and stall a little; after all, no one went to their certain death willingly - aside from kamikaze pilots and suicidal weirdoes.

Men were scurrying left and right with pails to go below, apparently the second cannon ball went trough the ship and it was starting to flood already… how lovely. "Uh, MacGregor…since the ship is already sinking, don't you think that this is all a little pointless?" Vanessa asked, trying to turn to face him. She could see the _Freya_, but there were too many soldiers in front of her to see any on it.

"No." MacGregor said, pushing her through the crowd of soldiers and against the railing. She didn't see Stephen anywhere on the deck of the other ship.

"Stephen Bonnet!" MacGregor bellowed out at the ship that had been getting closer to them since the first cannon was fired. Was he planning on rescuing her then, or seeing what was of value?

A blonde head came into view along with his wide frame. Blue eyes met green ones in an instant, before the green one darkened with fury.

"'She'll be perfectly save with us' you said. 'She is in more danger withyou, Stephen Bonnet, than wi' us.'" Stephen scoffed. "A fine sanctuary ye lot are, sinking and all, holding a gun to a defenseless lass' head as a ransom. You are pathetic." Without any indication whatsoever, Stephen pulled his pistol and shot.

Everything had gone silent. Vanessa, though too far to technically do so,had stared down the barrel when it shot, and could swear she watched the bullet in slow motion come straight at her. That was when she closed her eyes. She heard it whiz by her right ear, felt the molecules in some primitive notion move around the bullet. She heard the grunt from the man behind her, and felt the tight grip on her shoulder tighten and then slack. The thud at her feet was sickening. She thought she would retch, but she did not. She heard Stephen request permission to board in a tone that only meant they could allow it or he would just do it anyway.

When she opened her eyes, Stephen's men had ropes thrown to the ship and where pulling them towards their ship to board. The soldiers had indeed stopped fighting them off, but stillpulled out swords and pistols, preparing to engage as they came aboard.

Stephen Bonnetquickly trottedover the gangplank and onto the ship. He had kept his pistol drawn on the Captain, right hand on the hilt of his sword. She didn't want him to fight, but she was secretly curious as to how skilled he really was at sword fighting. None of the other men came over after he did, but stood there expecting some great spectacle. Stephen looked at her, she arched a brow, and he looked back to the Captain. "Your ship is sinking."

Captain Randolph sighed. "We noticed. Where exactly did you get a cannon for a cargo ship anyway?"

"I stole it." Stephen Bonnet said bluntly with a charming smile. "Smuggling it into the colonies. I have a hell of a profit coming for it."

Randolph sneered. "Pirate."

Bonnet bowed, keeping his eyes locked on Randolph the entire time. "If you say so." Straightening back up, "Who do I gotta kill to take my wife back to my ship. There will be another ship coming this way in a the next day possibly, depending on how fast yez can siphon water, ye could possibly live. Cause any more of a problem, and we will fire on each and every one of you."

"We cannot just _let _you walk off the ship with her and leave us to die!" Captain Randolph exclaimed.

Stephen sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. I challenge the best swordsman on board to a duel; if I win, I takemy wifeand you all sink with your ship. He wins, you keepmy wife, mind you she will make youdreadfully miserable,and my crew will all laugh at you while yez sink with your ship." The men onboard the _Freya_ laughed and hooted.

Vanessa felt her legs turn to Jell-O. He was about to fight for her. It was almost romantic, but the terms of his losing put a damper on that. She ignored the comment abouther making them miserable, she didn't have enough attention left to dwell on it.

Captain Randolph smiled sinisterly and drew the sword he had sheathed at his side. "Spoils to the victor then will be a share of your sweet wife as well."

Stephen Bonnet's eyes darkened for a brief second before returning to the cold, indifferent predatory gaze they were known for. "Aye, well, 'tis a good thing that I will be winning then, because I do no' think she will be all the while happy if ye lot were to rape her. She's like a raving beast when cornered too; sharp claws and fangs, that one has." He smiled, knowing the cut on his lip and the faint, mostly healed remaining scratch marks were visable.Directing his cold gaze onto Randolph, Stephen continued, "I do no' think ye are man enough to handle her." His lips curled into a smirk. Vanessa's cheeks were flaming as several of the sailors form both ships stared at her with new interest.

The Captain laughed. "I take it you found out first had by taking her by force, didn't you? Is that a confession?"

Before Stephen could rebuke, Vanessa proclaimed, "He did NOT take me by force!" Every face turned towards her now, including Stephen's gawking one that wouldhave beenquite comical under different circumstances. She sputtered, "I-I mean, he's infuriated me beyond all possible belief beforehand, but I was never _completely _unwilling."

The captain laughed. "I commend you Captain Bonnet for finding a women who likesit rough; too bad others will soon take full advantage of that."

Vanessa was wondering how this has gone from a rescue mission to an everybody-rape-Vanessa situation. The heated gaze that Stephen raked over her now told her that he wouldn't mind having a gowithher at the moment either. Damn, back in her time she struggled to catch the attention of one man while here everyone now wanted toscrew her. She could hear the _Twilight Zone _theme steadily running playing in her mind.

Stephen turned back to face Captain Randolph. "Did you completely forget that your ship is sinking? As we speak, it is filling up with water and _all_ you can think about is adultery? A man after my own heart, sure, but in this circumstance… can I just kill you already and get back on my ship that is NOT sinking so I can bed my wife as you all drown miserably?"

As their swords began clanking together furiously, Vanessa had managed to shut her eyes for the first minute or so, but in only hearing the swords connecting together and the grunts from both men, she opened them again. She couldn't tell if either had been injured yet.

Wanting to get a little further away, she took a step back only to trip over MacGregor's dead body. Her fall apparently distracting the men, she heard Stephen hiss. Pushing her hair out of her face, Vanessa saw that Randolph had managed to use this distraction to slice Stephen in the face at the right corner of his mouth. Blood was already welling, and she couldn't tell how bad it was. He growled at his opponent before charging at him In less than a minute, Stephen had gone from humored sword fighting to a mode of kill or be killed and backed the Captain Randolph into the mast. He disarmed him within moments. Before the man could plead for mercy, he sliced his throat. The man gurgled, fell to his knees, and silently went unconscious in a puddle of his own blood.

Without a word from any one, Stephen cleaned his blade on the Captain's coat, sheathed it, and came to collect her. Vanessa could barely breathe as he approached her; she was horrified at watching himkill a man in front of her, yet at the same time her own adrenaline was pumping.Not to mention,watching the man fight for her (even if he was only doing it because he considered her his property as MacGregor said) really turned her on. She wondered to herself if that meant she was going straight to hell, but she didn't care. At that moment there was only her and Stephen Bonnet.

Wordlessly, he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her back over the gangplank. The _Triton_'s crew were true to their word and didn't fire on them, but when they made it back to the _Freya_ she heard Stephen mumble to Alec to sail off a ways and then fire at them again to sink them faster. She didn't have the ability to thinkabout itthen, however, her whole body had an alternative motive. Which apparently, so did Stephen Bonnet's.

He didn't say another word to anyone and carried her straight to his cabin. Inside, he kept her in his arms long enough to bolt the door with on hand, and then he placed her to her feet. Mutually they dove towards each other, ending in an embrace and kissing each other so passionately it was blinding. He hissed and she pulled back, "Your lip!"

"It's only a scratch, leave it."

She grabbed at a rag lying on the desk and dabbed at it.It had stopped bleeding and wasn't too deep, but would likely leave a nice scar. "It's not bleeding much anymore, perhaps you shouldn't do anything to split it open again, or the one I caused either now that you mention it."

"Ye caused them both, darlin'."

"I did not cause you to get your face sliced up."

"Aye, ye did. I thought you'd fallen off the ship, but it was only that useless, fat, Scot you tripped over."

"Oh blame me, why don't you? Are you sure it isn't hurting you to bad? Do you need it sewn up?"

Another kiss was her answer. She heard the sound of ripping material and realized it was her dress that he had just torn from collar to waist. She stepped back and helped him get her out of it, before ripping his shirt off him in return. He chuckled.

"Eager, are we, darlin'?"

"I thought you were gong to just let me leave with them."

"For a moment there, sweetheart, so did I."

No further words were said. They vigorously removed all traces of clothing and in some fashion made it to the bed without really realizing they had gotten there. They were both equally prepared for it, but still when he entered her they both inhaled sharply. "Christ!" Stephen exclaimed as he slid himself in to the hilt.

"What? Is there something wrong?" Vanessa asked, shocked at his sudden outburst.

"What? No." He stroked the hair out of her face gently, staying completely unbearably still. "I've never had a woman feel _this _damn good before."

Vanessa blushed profusely. "oh, uh…. Why aren't you moving?"

"Don't tempt me if you want me to take my time with ye!" He said, appalled that she would have demanded him to go slowly before, and now she wanted him to take her quickly.

Vanessa leaned up and licked his earlobe causing him to groan. She then whispered in his ear as seductively as she found possible, "Take me now, Stephen Bonnet. Take me like you've never taken another woman before."

He growled as thousands of years of instinct took him over. She began to climax within moments, both of them ending up in a pile of limbs; sweaty, panting, and exhausted.


	32. Pirate's Booty

_A/N: I added an epigraph to the beginning of chapter one. And thank you for the reviews :) They made me smile. They brightened my day immensly, andI only hope I can continue to please you with the following chapters. And it is officially, I can no longer read about Stephen Bonnet without thinking of my side of him so re-read DiA I am like omg Bonnet...erm...wait. :P_

_

* * *

_

Vanessa woke up later that night when Stephen returned to bed. He had gone back above after they had made love to ensure that the Triton was sinking properly and that the Freya's crew hadn't gone traitorous overthe rescue ofthe Captain'swife. He proclaimed he only went through the trouble of bringing her back on his ship because she was his property and she could strengthen claims against him having known some of his smuggled goods and names of his associates. Vanessa had a feeling that the men knew better than that.

Heaven help her she was falling for the man fast and it couldn't possibly be healthy. He didn't bathe regularly, though he was improving because she would insist to bath him herself - which he couldn't quite bring himself to deny. _Pervert_. He was so much taller than she was, and broad enough to conceal her from view if she stood behind him, which if her hips had any say in the matter, made her feel much tinier, but was still shocking to her nonetheless. He drank too much, but he _was_ Irish. And then he smoked those nasty cigars. She had told him repeatedly they stunk and she abhorred them, but it only made him smoke more of them to incense her. He had tried to smoke one before rejoining the crew earlier, but the smoke irritated his cuts, so he cursed and forsworn them for a while. _Thank God_.

He hadn't done more than kick off his boots when he came in before flopping down on the bed beside her. She cuddled up against him. They laid in silence for some time before he finally spoke. "Can I ask ye a personal question, darlin'?"

Vanessa looked up at him, the moonlight streaked over his face giving the pale green of his eyes an otherworldly glow. "What ever you want."

"It doesn't matter to me either way, really. Still it has been on my mind. You said ye were a virgin before I took ye on our marriage night, sure, but ye did no' bleed. Any. At all. You don't have to worry about yourreputationor nothing, sweetheart. Well for one, you're married to a wanted pirate so your reputation may suffer considerably there, but you can tell me the truth. Who was he?"

Vanessa' gaped at him. Of all the questions, that was not the one she expected to hear. "I was a virgin until that night, Stephen. I know you don't believe that Iam from a future time, but a virgin doesn't' necessarily have to bleed. It is rare that they don't, but all together possible. Besides, I may not have ever had sex before you, but the hymen - err, the maidenhead or whatever that membrane is known as now - can be ruptured before ever having sex. I, for one, parted with mine when I wrecked my bicycle at fifteen - it is a kind of transportation that rides on two wheels that is easier to come by than a horse or wagon - and I landed crotch first on the bar that makes up the bike's body. I bled then, quite a bit."

Stephen had a tic starting in his clenched jaw. He wasn't buying it, and it infuriated her. "Look, you were my first and as far as I am concerned right now, you're the only one I could imagine ever sleeping with again anyway. You asked for the truth, and I told you. I have no reason to lie to you, so why can't you just believe me?"

He exhaled slowly. "It is hard to believe you came from another time, sweetheart. Though truth be told upon first noticing ye I said to myself you didn't belong in this time. And to hear talk of sex come from ye is just distracting because ye do it like it is no big deal, and just say it with such … you need to watch yourself. The wrong person may think ye make a living of it."

Vanessa's cheeks flamed. "Do you think I was a whore?"

"No." Stephen said firmly and bent to kiss her. He pulled back slightly. "I never once thought you could be a whore. I saw you, I still see you, as naught more than some rogue princess whose standards are far too high for the likes ofme."

Vanessa had to force herself not to get weepy at his sweet words. _Sweet words? From Stephen Bonnet? Hell just froze over!_ "Princess my ass. If that was true than why would I be here with you right now, and enjoying it immensely?"

He had ducked his head down to nuzzle her neck and she felt his lips spread into a wide grin. "Because I am a pirate, see? I take what I want. The more expensive or elaborate soemthing is, the more I want to steal it. And see here, fair princess, ye are mine." He pulled back to look at her. The cut on the side of his mouth hadsplit open againwhen he had smiled. It was barely bleeding, but it still should be bandaged and taken proper care of.

"Stephen, you are bleeding again. Are you _sure _you don't want me to sew it…"

"Shhh." He held a finger to her lips to quiet her. "I canno' even feel it. Nothing, not even blood can stop a pirate from plundering his treasure." He pulled the blanket back to expose her naked flesh to his famished gaze.

Vanessa giggled "Plunder? Oh my God, that was _soooo _corny. Are you going to plunder me Captain Bonnet?" She asked in a playful tone as Stephen slowly trailed a hand over her exposed abdomen.

"Oh, much, much more than that, sweetheart. I thoroughly plan to plunder, pillage, wreck havoc, and even set fire to this rare gem." His hand slid between her legs and her body did indeed catch fire. He slowly brought her to climax with his hand before he began to shrug off his jacket. Sitting up in the bed, Vanessa helped him undress. She turned the tables on him and pushed him back into the mattress, straddling his waist. She backed up enough to pull his breeches and his stockings off. She realized this was the first time Stephen was giving her absolute control over him and she felt elated.

"I just thought you should know…" Stephen started as he realized she had discovered her new position of power, "that I actually found it in my bestinterest to bathe today."

"_You _bathed? By yourself?" He nodded at her. "I am deeply shocked." Vanessa said, then added, "When?"

"Not long before I came in here."

"Your hair's not wet." Vanessa said bluntly.

"That's because I didn' wash my hair. That _hair_ anyway. I washed everything else though."

Vanessa leaned down and sniffed his thigh and he chuckled. He smelled of the lye soap that was hidden in the galley, which must have been where he washed. The lye soap didn't smell too pleasant, but it was better than the sweat and dirt smell. She nipped his thigh and he yipped with surprise causing her to giggle. He sat up and pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly before drawing her back over his body as he reclined back down. It was more tender than the kiss they had shared on Skye Island. It was feather light, and deep all at the same time. He pulled her left leg back over his abdomen and groaned as he felt her moisture against his skin. Pulling back enough to look into her eyes, he said, "This night is yours to do as you want with me. You could walk out this room right now and forget I existed. Or you could stay and use my body however you want, darlin'."

Vanessa had seen the evidence of hisneed for her, yet he was offering to let her go now? "You wouldn't really let me walk away from you now would you?"

She saw the hint of hurt cross his features as she allowed him to think she had second thoughts. "Probably not, but it seemed like a nice offer."

She laughed before she slowly lowered herself on to him. His eyes locked with hers, as his breathing stopped. She'd stunned him by choosing him.

His breathingbecame labored as she took him all the way inside of her. "You aren't just doing this because I said I probably wouldn' let ye really walk out of here, are you?"

"It's a pity that you thought I would try to, because I had every intention of doing exactly what I just did."

She rode him slowly, to the point that he literally couldn't take it anymore. He flipped them over and took control of the situation. She loved that she made him completely mindless with need like that. She found it exceptionally fascinating to watch. That and the tender look in his eyes when she came for him again, just before he followed in suit.

He fell asleep almost immediately afterwards. Brushing a blonde lock of hair out of his face with her finger, she waswhispered in his ear,"I think I love you, Stephen Bonnet. Even if you can never love me in return." Whether he heard her or not, Stephen's lip twitched at the corner and he pulled her closer to him with a sigh.


	33. Boredom at Sea

**March 29, 1763**

Vanessa thumbed through Stephen's Captain's log and arched a brow at his scrawl across the pages. It made her sick. She loathed him for it. How could a man of so little morals have prettier handwriting than she did?

She had tried her hand at writing with a quill and ink, but always ended up more smudged and blackened than the paper which she could produce little more than chicken scratch. Stephen had wanted to see for himself that she was indeed literate and had asked her to write her name. He saw the mess she made of things with the ink and had teased her that she had never picked up a quill before, in which she agreed. Vanessa had relished in his smug smirk disappearing when she skillfully produced her name, though truth be told her cursive sucked and she was afraid regular print would look as though a child wrote it.

Vanessa had then read a few pages of his log to him to prove she was fully capable of reading. He didn't appear too impressed, but she sensed a bit of pride coming from him as if he felt somewhat blessed to at least have a literate wife.

February had faded into March, and April nipped at their heels. Stephen had promised they'd be on land in only a matter of weeks, mid-April if the weather remained decent. Vanessa was getting anxious to be on land again.

She had been relieved when her period had struck inthe last week, though it was late as it always was. The last thing she ever wanted to discover was that she was pregnant while on a ship. As much as she was beginning to care for her husband, perhaps even beginning to love him, she was no where near ready to be a mother. The very thought terrified her, and she knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. She might not know until a good time after she became pregnant considering her ability to skip five months between menstrual cycles.

Vanessa closed the little leather book with a soft thud. She had straightened up his desk, God forbid. She had found a little wooden bowl in the galley and snuck it in the cabin and place all his coins and anything that looked remotely valuable in it. She had also straightened out the bed sheets which were in dire need of washing as they smelt a bit of sweat due to the spring weather that was approaching the heat of summer, becoming chilly only in the dead of night.

Stephen Bonnet had been scarce lately, however. Or as scarce as life on a ship at sea would allow for

Apparently his crew, which Vanessa assumed was code for Stewart and Alec due to the fact that they were the only ones who actually approached him to chat, had made comment to him that he was slacking as a Captain due to the "batting of pretty lashes." Vanessa rolled her eyes. The man was twenty-six years old and newly married, surely they don't expect him to ignore her. She sighed as she acknowledged that yes, indeed, they did expect him to do that.

He only came to the cabin to sleep for four or five hours and then head back on deck. He stopped having the private suppers with her in their cabin and resumed to eating in the mess or directly in the galley. And Vanessa could only watch the tiredness wash over him and do nothing to help besides welcome him to her in the dead of the night to offer him a moment's peace.

There had been a heavy storm the day before, and the men were more tired than ever after nearly a full day's hard work assuring that the ship would stay upright and that everything on it stayed secure. She had been confined to the cabin as to assure Stephen that she wouldn't tumble overboard. She was therethat dayout of sheer and utter boredom.

Yes, landfall would be most welcome. She laid her head in her arms on the desk, and fell asleep.

* * *

Sometime later, Vanessa awoke to strong hands lifting her out of the chair she was in. She was enveloped in warmth as she felt herself pulled against a broad chest, and she opened her eyes to see Stephen gazing down at her with an expression that she didn't quite comprehend having seen before. He looked pained, yet not. He hid the expression the moment he caught her gaze on him.

He put her in the bed and pulled the covers up over her. She noticed in the faint light of the candle he had lit on the desk that his hands were bruised with the efforts of pulling at ropes without gloves.

"Sleep well t'night, darlin'." He murmured to her.

"You aren't going to get any sleep tonight, then?" Vanessa asked.

"Not tonight. One of the sails have ripped and we are getting the new one up as we speak. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't died of boredom down here, seeing ye didno' show for dinner."

He smiled at her and hovered towards her slightly, as though he wanted to kiss her on the forehead or something delicate in that manner, but stopped, shook his head as though to dismantle some nonsense thought, and left her there.

As though the sail couldn't wait till daylight. Then again, Vanessa knew absolutely nothing about sailing, so who was she to judge how he ran his ship.


	34. Approaching Land

**April 18, 1767**

Land.

Vanessa gazed at it from the prow of the ship, longingly. They were closing in on the colonies and were going through inlets and island waterways that they were not going to actually land on. Though she though it would be wise, considering the black clouds above them. She felt his presecence at her side and she sighed.

He squeezed her right buttocks in the midst of a mock stretch.

"Cute." Vanessa muttered.

"What?" Stephen feigned innocence and she snorted.Innocence and Stephen Bonnet went together as well as water and oil.

"You see this enormous storm that is about to burst open above our heads?"

"Aye."

"Why are we sailing through it instead of going on land?"

"Because these islands are good for unloading smuggled goods, sure, but I have no business with them as of the moment."

"What about your cannon?"

"I stole that for myself."

"Why?"

"It made me feel more…. " he trailed off in search of an appropriate word.

Vanessa smiled. "Manly? Compensating for something…Captain?"

Stephen turned his head in her directing with his mouth hanging open slightly, a look of mild reproach crossing his features. "You of all people should know I need not to…"

"Well you _do_ like to be super quick an all."

"Hey, cannons have to be slowly prepped and reloaded before firing off again. Don't makeme show you how much moreefficient I am than a cannon." He sneered at her, though still in good spirits.

"You would have to escape your first mate and bosun first. They are headed this way as we speak."

Stephen looked over his other shoulder to see Alec and Stewart headed towards them. _Damn_. He thought to himself. Those two were getting on his nerves. He _would_ make them sorry for doing so, only they were right. He had been acting like a sorry captain since he wed Vanessa. He had spent so much time in their cabin with her, and leaving the crew on it's own. He had always thrived on the thought that his men saw him as a good Captain, and that this view was becoming tarnished by a streak of infatuation with a woman was indeed a problem.

Stephen Bonnet was torn. He wanted nothing more but to retire to his cabin with his wife and bed her. He had gone to her the night prior after almost a week of barely touching her. He had entered the cabin to find her completely naked and standing in front of the window, gazing at the stars that glimmered over head. She hadn't heard him approach and was startled to feel his arms draw around her. He had taken her right there, pressed against the window with the stars as their private audience. He had felt some strange sensation course through his blood that he had never experienced before. He was still uncertain of what it was. A fierce protectiveness of Vanessa, perhaps, but ultimately something more. Something new.

As he opened his mouth to speak to his first mate, the storm cloud seemed to have imitated Vanessa's imagination, and burst open to soak all of them as a clap of thunder sounded so loudly that his ears actually rang from it.


	35. Fire!

_Yay, updatage. I wrote this last week while I was in Florida and I just now got the chance to upoad it, sorry about the wait. I got the next 2 chapters handwritten and just got to type them up, and you are going to kinda be left hanging this time so don't kill me :P_

_

* * *

_

Stephen was soaked through to the bones, exhausted, and irritated. His entire body felt like it would collapse from the strain he had put on it running his ship, but it was all in a day's work for a man of the sea. He would never let it weigh him down. He never complained and wouldn't start now, although his fool of a bosun, Stewart, was about to make him murderous if he didn't lay off. Stephen would never admit it openly, but despite the fact that he wascautious of anyone and everyone, Stewart and Alec were probably the closest to friends he had ever had. They tolerated his ill temper and dismissed his threats to kill them on numerous occasions in a stride that let him know they didn't doubt that he would do so in a heart beat, but knew that he didn't have anyone else to really talk to. And so Stephen tried to keep his temper down to a mild shimmer every time their agitation with Vanessa surfaced, because on some level within his being that tried to remain civil, he realized that they knew that his feelings for Vanessa were growing. They were aware that since Stephen had her to talk to and tend to him, their lives became expendable and worthless, and they were not in favor of being killed in one of his bursts of anger because of it.

Stephen was as afraid of his feelings for Vanessa as they were, though he only dwelt on it when he had a moment of privacy - a moment which came very rarely on a ship. The most horrifying thoughts were that for the first time ever he actually cared about what others thought of him, and he wanted to be a good man. Though those delusions were nothing more than a pleasant wish, and he well knew it. He was too far gone to be a true gentleman. Though he may dress as one and demonstrate the manner of one in public, Stephen Bonnet was a pirate, a criminal, a murderer, a pervert, and an complete asshole. Anything one could think of that was remotely vile, it was him. And remembering it only cause his temper to increase drastically at the moment.

It was no surprise to him that he had blackened Stewart's eye when he had mouthed off at the order to see Vanessa safely bellow deck when the storm had engulfed them. The upper deck was no place for a woman while the waves slammed into the ship, making even he have trouble keeping balance. Not to mention, the ship's veering side to side as though it would capsize at any given second.

Stephen gave the order, but Stewart had scoffed that she could see herself down to her owncabin and he was needed more on deck than below. Now Alec was having to take his shipmate to his cabin where the could remain safely passed out from the blow. Vanessa had gone with them, after scoldingStephen for being a complete ass. They could all go swiftly to hell for all he cared, in fact, he'd throw them all a ball when they met him there.

The wind was howling around them, and the lightening was terribly close. Thunder boomed as though thewrath of the old Gods was being thrust upon him. Stephen wouldn't be surprised if they did come for him. Surely the Christian God would sneer at him with disgust andspit onhis soul if their paths were to cross. He may know his scripture, but it wasn't going to do him any good in the long run. Danu was the only deity Stephen still had complete faith in; only she hadn't seemed to abandon him yet, and for that he was grateful. Without sheer luck, he'd have been hanged a long time ago.

A wave struck the ship causing him to nearly topple yet again. A yell came from the other side of the ship near the cargo hold. It took some time to make his way across the toiling ship, but he made it. A water cask had spilt open when a violent wave had struck it moments ago. Gallons of water pooled to ankle-deep when he made his way in to help salvage what cargo he could.

The gunpowder was soaked. Stephen cursed. Danu apparently held a grudge against him afterall.

He was in deep concentration at the work at hand when he heard the next shout.

"Fire!"

The ship went in a complete panic. Stephen bellowed to men left and right to fetch pails, and to calm down. If they were panicked it would only make matters worst. First of all, the fire was in the lower deck, thankfully on the furthest point away from his cabin where Vanessa would be safe and could still get out.Danu waslaughing at him now, for ashis luck would have it the rain was falling softer now, and the storm was nearly past them. Damn.

Stephen saw Alec run up the ladder and scan the men on deck, most likely scanning for him. "Aye, Alec, over here, man!"

Alec looked to him, but relief did not cross his pale features. Stephen felt the dread coil in his belly like a large snake.

Alec made his way to him. "The fire, Capt'n. It was my fault, aye. A wave slammed me into the wall as I was leaving Stewart's cabin and I dropped my candle and I guess the daft fool had spilt a drink outside his door, for it went up like it were the gates ter hell itself!"

Stephen didn't move, didn't react. There was more to this, Alec wasn't to the worst of it yet, he could feel it.

"Stewart and Vanessa were inside. She was tending to the blackened eye ye gave 'em. I couldna get back in, the flames were too high, Capt'n. I'm sorry!" Alec pleaded, but to mostly empty air, for Stephen was down the ladder without a moment's thought of what he was about.

He heard her screaming before he made it to the fire. It had engulfed most of the corridor itself, and before long would spread into the rooms and burn a hole into the side to let the water in. The _Freya_ was going to sink.

"Vanessa!" Stephen bellowed. The flames were vivid orange, and the heat was unbearable.

"Stephen! The fire is in the cabin, but only blocking the door. The window in here is too small to fit through, and Stewart is still out cold."

"Just stay put, darlin'. We are gonna get ye two out without cookin' yez.." Stephen said and slammed the door open to the nearest cabin on his right. He yelled back out for men to bring the ax they kept on board. Before long he was hacking through the wall of the cabin, yanking panels of wood out with his bare hands in order to squeeze his large frameinto the room that was adjacent to the room Vanessa and Stewart were in.

Stephen swung the ax in a daze. He knew nothing other than he had to get them out. He had cared for absolutely no one other than himself for so long, and was in no mood to give up the woman that had warmed him in more ways than one the past few months. When he made a decent size hole, Stephen dropped the ax and stepped into the room. The fire was growing, but had yet to reach this side of the cabin. He hadVanessa in his arms and was half up the ladder before his senses came back to him. Turning, he saw Alec was behind him with Stewart slung over his shoulder like a limp scarecrow. Coming back to his senses he ordered hismen to try extinguishing the fire, but he knew it was useless at that point.

Above deck the storm had passed, but the fire could not be extinguished. They were going to sink.


	36. On a Crowded Little Skiff

_Well I have another chapter written just not typed, I should have it up sometime this weekend. Sorry about the wait! And thank you for the reviews; It is a wonderful feeling to be able to keep readers for 30+ chapters when it is about a character they never really liked :) I hope I can continue to keep your attention._

* * *

"Karma." Vanessa muttered when they were a good distance from the sinking ship.

"What's that, sweetheart?" Stephen said with a little more of an attitude than he meant to.

"You left all those men to drown on the _Triton_ and now your ship is sinking. There is a theory that evil deeds come back to bite you in the ass."

"Aye, well you can say that, sure. Though we will be better off. See there?" Stephen pointed behind her where an island was visible, even though it was so far away it was only barely visible at all. "We are near land, while they were not." He grinned wickedly at her. "Danu was at least kind to offer that little consolation."

"Why Danu? Who's to say God had nothing to do with it?" Vanessa arched a brow at him.

Stewart shifted uneasily beside her. He had come too shortly after getting into the little boat, or skiff. Then again, the rope snapping while they were still about nine feet above the water and the thunk they had made connecting with the water would have risen the dead. Vanessa didn't voice it, but she suspected it was her hips that caused the rope to snap; an all meat and starch diet may not seem bad until the starch builds up. She needed veggies something kind of fierce, and though she hated them, it wouldn't hurt on her teeth either. She really missed her toothbrush.

Stephen blinked as though he thought he may be delirious. "God abandoned me a long time ago, darlin'. It would be best if you were to remember it. I am on a path straight to the lowest depths of Hell, sweetheart, and since I am already goin', why not enjoy the sinful life while I still can, eh?" He smirked at her, sending a chill down her spine.

There was a total of twelve people on the boat, the others were going to drown: Amanda and the others, all those little babies. Stephen may have claimed he'd send the boat back to get the rest, but Vanessa knew it would be too late by the time it made it back. If anyone was still alive they would be thrashing in the water until they became too tired to swim and passed out from the sheer exhaustion before the boat made it back. They only had a few oars and the weight in the boat was enough to slow them down against the current that the storm had placed against them. It also looked like it would rain again soon.

Could she live with it?

Knowing she allowed herself to be saved while all those innocent people drowned? Vanessa swallowed down a lump in her throat as she realized that maybe she was meant to be with Stephen Bonnet after all. She was selfish, and it made her feel like a damned coward. Perhaps her mind still hadn't grasped the reality of the situation yet, because she never thought herself to be so heartless that she could just let it go so easily.

Instead of brooding about her own faults, she decided the best way to spend the next few hours was to ogle her husband who had shed his jacket to make rowing an easier task. He really looked like a pirate at that moment. He was wearing a pair of rather tight, tanleather pants - did pirates wear leather? If not they really should have because damn - and a white shirt that was hanging open at the collar to give Vanessa a nice view of his tan chest. His hair was still unbound and wet. All that was missing was a cutlass and a big gold hoop in his ear.

Vanessa yawned as an hour passed and they seemed to be no closer to shore than before, but she knew that they really had been moving towards it. She was getting hungry too, and she didn't want to guzzle the water in fear of running out before reaching land. The Coleridge poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Marnier," popped into her head.

"Water, Water everywhere, nor any drop to drink. Or something."

Vanessa hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud until she noticed all the men looking at her as though she was mad. "We…uh…have drinkin' water, darlin'" Stephen said, looking slightly amused.

" I know. It is from a poem I read…once."

"Really now? What was it about?" Stephen asked. Vanessa couldn't tell if he was genuinely interested or if he was asking out of sheer boredom.

"Well, it is about a mariner who couldn't see the beauty of the world and took it all for granted. One day at sea an Albatross was flying with the ship and was seen as a sign of good fortune… until the mariner shot it. Soon after the whole crew seemed to drop dead and all kinds of other weird things happened. I don't remember the later parts of the poem, mostly just the beginning. But the mariner was forced to travel constantly to tell his tale to everyone he comes across for the rest of his life."

Everyone was staring at her speculatively. "What?" Vanessa yawned again.

Stephen kicked Stewart who was directly across from him. "Wha?" Stewart said jerking from his relaxed position beside Vanessa.

"Switch places with me. Ye may have been knocked about, but it is your turn to row."

Once he was seated beside Vanessa, he pulled her against his shoulder. "Go to sleep, darlin', when ye wake we should be on land."

Before she could savor the comfort of his arm around her, she was asleep.


	37. Startling Revelations

Vanessa awoke to find herself beneath a blanket at the base of a tree. A tree she couldn't see because it was pitch black. She heard soft murmurs of people near her which told her that the others were close by, but the sound of the ocean was a soft rumble in the distance. They were inland, and why hadn't anyone started a fire? What the hell was going on now? She sat up abruptly and about jumped out of her skin as a hand clamped down upon her shoulder which shewas relievedto find still incased in her dress and she hadn't been striped naked again. Lord knows she was tired of being surprised to find herself naked. Vanessa had the mind to believe her outrage of finding herself so amused Stephen immensely and was the reason it kept on happening. Which only meant something had to be going really wrong if he wasn't going to mess with her for his amusement.

"Stephen?"

"Ssh." Was the only reply she received, but Stephen squeezed lightly on her shoulder to let her know all would be fine.

Vanessa stretched silently to ease the ache in her back from the uncomfortable angles of sleeping in a crowded skiff and on the hard, root covered ground. Although it pleased her tremendously as she remembered how Stephen hadn't thought twice about moving to her side to make her comfortable on the boat, and wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to show such compassion in front of his men. Somehow Vanessa knew that he had never done such a thing before, but then again the look on his men's faces portrayed all that and more.

Why _was_ there not a single fire lit? Come to think of it, why weren't they on the beach waiting for a friendly ship to come by and take them to the mainland? Who knew if the island they had their butts plastered to was even inhabited? Vanessa's head started to ache.

"Stephen?" She hissed, agitated. Vanessa would be damned if she was to just sit there in the dark and not know why everyone was only speaking in whispers. Even if her eyes were starting to adjust, the lack of light was really disconcerting. Also, she had the bad habit of being unnaturally thirsty whenever she woke up and couldn't see to find something to drink.

As if reading her thoughts, Stephen dropped a skin of something into her lap. Vanessa didn't care if it was whale urine at this point, as long as it was wet. Thanking God it was in fact _not_ whale urine, but whiskey. She quickly gulped some of it down and handedit back to Stephen.

"What is going on?" Vanessa asked in a hushed tone. She saw Stephen glance towards her, look back in front of him as though making sure nothing was sneaking up on them, and back at her again. All the while he exhaled sharply as though he didn't have time for meddlesome questionings when he had important sitting on his ass in the dark to do.

Whispering so close to her ears that his breath tickled, Stephen explained. " When were nearly to shore another ship moved along side of the _Freya_. An English ship. If anyone was still alive on that ship and not all too pleased about being left to drown…." He cut off.

Vanessa turned to face him, as much as she could in the dark, "They would tell them about what happened with the _Triton..._ and that you were smuggling."

"Aye. I already have charges of piracy in the Colonies. If they catch us we will all see the gallows before the end of the month."

"If they ca- they came to shore? Here?" Vanessa'svoice began to rise on it's own accord.

"Be quiet!" Stephen hissed. "Yes, we feared they would so we sank the skiff and went deep inland. Alex sent Martin and Wilson to keep watch in case they landed. The did. We have to stay hidden until they think we already left the island or that we never made it to land. We were too far away to be seen by them hopefully, but this was the only bit of land nearby."

Vanessa's heart clenched. "Why can't they just leave you alone? I am sure that they have better things to do than crawl around some island looking to hang you."

Stephen snorted. "Aye, well, it's their duty, is it not? And besides, I am a wicked, wicked man."

Unexpectedly Stephen leaned in and kissed her. Drawing back out of the kiss, Vanessa stared at him in shock. "What was that about?"

"For caring whether or not they hang me."

"Who's to say I just don't want to be found accomplishing you when they find you so they don't hang me too?" Vanessa said, arching a brow he probably couldn't see.

"Is that the way of it then? I always admired a women who wasn' daft."

"Well, gee. Thank you."

"What? Are ye shocked that I can compliment you like a proper gentleman?"

"Ha! _That_ was a proper compliment? That I am not daft? Pah-lease. I just can't believe you are leaving it at just a kiss. Is that self control I am witnessing? I think I may be delusional."

"Ha!" He whispered back. "Jest all ye like. We are trying to remain quiet, and as much as I would like to ravish ye right here on the ground like a big, wild, beast..."

"And hairy. Don't forget hairy."

"...I'm no'that hairy... You are loud."

Vanessa nudged him hard with her elbow. "How could you say that? I am not that loud."

"Ye scream."

"I do not. You wish I was a screamer."

Stephen chuckled. "Aye. You do scream and it is a very pleasant sounding scream at that. Brings a man to his knees."

"You… are a _very_…strange man... and I don't scream."

Vanessa's breath caught in her throat as his fingers interlaced themselves with her left hand. Stephen Bonnet was holding her hand? Was this a dream? She pinched herself on the cheek and it hurt like hell. Okay, not a dream. She was delusional. Definitely delusional.

She scooted closer to him and leaned into him. It was like she fit there perfectly. Her eyes had adjusted enough to see his blonde hair was still lose and in tangles from the rain and sea water. It was in dire need of a comb, reaching his shoulders and matted against his neck. Using her free hand she brushed his hair out of his face and placed it behind his ear.

"Would ye stop that? I just told you I wasn' going to bed ye, and if you keep on doin' that, I'm go-"

"Ssh." Vanessa coaxed as she freed her hand from his and slid it over his hard, muscled thigh. The leather was cool but his body heat seeped though scorching her hand. She moved her hand up and cupped the buldge that was trapped within the confines of his pants. What a shame.

Stephen growled, though it was nearly inaudible. "You are one step away from…"

Vanessa unlaced his pants and slid her hand down the front of them to free his erection. "Hush now, Stephen. You are too tense. You need to relax a little." She leaned closer to him as she wrapped her hand around him at the base. "I just hope you can control yourself and not scream."

"Wench." Stephen hissed through gritted teeth. Vanessa could feel his tense muscles beside her relaxing as his breath grew labored.

"Now that's not very nice of you." She moved her hand up and down him and a gentle caress that he felt sear through his soul. She licked his earlobe, sending a shiver through his body before whispering, "You're so worked up, Stephen. Why do you do that to yourself."

Her right hand cupped his cheek and slide down over his chest all the while her left hand stayed on him, caressing him gently. Stephen's hands were planted firmly on the ground on either side of him as though he hoped it would keep him grounded. He could swear he could see stars before his eyes. Vanessa's free hand slide down to his left hand and raised it to her lips. She kissed the palm of it the exact moment he found his release with a muffled grunt and a curse.

"Capt'n Bonnet?" Alec asked from nearby. "Are ye alright? Ye sound…pained."

Stephen felt Vanessa's body shake from muffled giggles. "I was bitten by a…crawly…thing."

"Oh? I do hope it wasn't poisonous." Vanessa said, feigning innocence.

"Ha!" Stephen leaned towards her and whispered so lightly that she hardly heard him. "I am goin' to get revenge for this darlin', but till the time comes…" He cupped her face in both hands and placed his forehead against hers. Closing his eyes he breathed her in and whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

Some while later, Stephen sat there with his arm draped about Vanessa's shoulders in stunned silence. He had been pleasured by a great many women, but none had ever affected him the way Vanessa did. Never had anyone ever given to him so freely without being afraid of what he'd do if they didn't, or being paid to do so.

Why was Vanessa not afraid of him? He knew she was at first, and yet now his presence didn't even phase her.

It would be so much easier if she was afraid of him. At least then the churning within his soul could be explained as guilt from knowing he disgusted her. But what he felt was not self repulsion, a feeling he felt on numerous occasions after being pleasures by those who did fear him. When he was with Vanessa, he felt exhilarated. He felt wanted, needed. He felt loved.

Stephen grimaced. Love. His parents had loved him, sure, but no one else ever had. It had become a kill or be killed state of mind for him after their death. When he went to sea to earn a living, and keep from starving on the streets of Sligo, he had learned fast. It only took a few good beatings on board the _Revenge_ to harden him.

He had always had an advantage on the ships he sailed on because he was literate and was raised with the manners of a perfect gentleman. His captains were quick to exploit those things to their own wicked deeds. Distracting the ladies to cause a brawl over the married ones as a distraction while the other men from his ship robbed the married men blind. Pretending to be illiterate to get close enough to the books of a rival ship he was "sold" to, only to be rescued a short time later, with the information on buyers and sellers among other documented information he had gained access to when the victims' ledgers were left out thinking illiterate cabin boys were harmless.

Before long Stephen began to enjoy the danger and the fighting. The killing no longer bothered him. He became fierce and undefeatable. Most of all, he became feared. When he purchased his own ship, many had followed him out of respect, but many were afraid not to follow him.

And here he sat, the feared pirate captain, wondering about love.

Vanessa deserved a gentleman, a real one. Something he could never be. His hands were calloused and a number of small scars covered his body from bullets and sword wounds. He had killed in cold blood on more than one occasion. Everything about him made him ill, but at the moment he felt exhilarated. It was because of her; Vanessa. If he had not lived the way he had, he would never have been in Norway in time to transport Vanessa to the Colonies.

Silently thanking Danu, Stephen wondered why he now had the sudden urge to cry. It was a pitiful act that he hadn't done since he was a small child. The urge was terrifying to him, it made no sense why it had come upon him like this. He squeezed his eyes shut to drive the unshed tears away from him. Vanessa was too good for him, yet she was given to him. Through time, she had said, and right into the arms of the devil.

He wasn't sure if he really believed her, but Stephen knew she wasn't lying to him. Perhaps she was only a little bit…odd, in the head, but not a liar. It didn't matter to him though. What mattered to him was Vanessa. He felt a surge of possessiveness so strong that he shook from it. He would tear anyone who dared to harm her limb from miserable limb.

"Are you okay? You're shaking." Vanessa whispered, with genuine concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine, darlin'" Stephen squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You should go back to sleep. If the soldiers are still here in the morning we may have to move on or possibly fight. And you… you will have to run and hide so that you don't get hurt or taken captive. They will not think twice about ransoming you, and if they catch me I would go straight to the gallows."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Neither am I." Stephen said, knowing good and damn well that he was exhausted. Weighed down with the stress of losing his ship, his way of profit, being hunted, and realizing (with horror) that he was in love with Vanessa. His world had crumbled the moment he looked into her deep, blue eyes.

How could this happen?

A branch snapped nearby and Stephen stiffened. The soldiers were right there upon them.


	38. Ambush

_A/N: So sory for the long gap between updates. I am working almost everyday and when I am not at work I am at school or doing homework. I am taking creative writing this semester so hopefully I will be able to update a lot, but I know that I am going to be going back and better editing the already posted chapters. I know I make a lot of typos, I will fix them eventually lol. __Until then, however, here is another chapter :)_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something jabbed Vanessa in between the shoulders.It didn't take a genius to realize that it was the barrel of a pistol. She felt Stephen stiffen beside her instantly, no doubt they had him at gun point as well. A hand gripped her shoulder now and squeezed in warning. They hoped she'd remain calm. Probably thought they were saving her rather than making things worse.

Stephen's head snapped backward an instant later. A soldier fell forward between them, grasping his forehead in pain. Wasting no time at all Stephen grabbed her hand in his, using the other to pull the small knife out of his back. He must have been stabbed when he'd surprised the soldier.

Stephen kicked out and caught the soldier holding Vanessa at gun point square in the jaw. If the man had been smart he would either have shot Vanessa or moved the gun directly onto him when the other man went down. He raised his gun to fire on him belatedly, and now could only think of the pain that resided in his face.

"Well men, see ye all the dark of the moon in the usual place!" Stephen called to his men who were just noticing the commotion as a handful of English soldiers spilled into the dark clearing, the red of their coats catching a stray sliver of moonlight. Stephen scooped Vanessa up and over his shoulder and took off in the opposite direction.

"Stephen!" Vanessa squeaked, not expecting to be carried off so savagely. He squeezed her nicely rounded arse a little more forcefully than intended to silence her. He found himself rubbing the assaulted area gently to sooth any harm that he may have caused it.

"Men." Vanessa hissed under her breath, but loud enough so that Stephen would hear it. "Only a man would cop a feel while fleeing for his life. Completely typical; why am I not surprised?"

"Quiet Darlin'." He squeezed again, this time just to agitate her and continued to run with little else on his mind other than guaranteeing their survival. At least until she touched his brand new knife wound.

It wasn't deep. The man didn't have time to act with force, only surprise. It had only stuck in his skin because it was a small knife that was more common for women's sewing than battle. Why the soldier had used it baffled him, but Danu apparently hadn't abandoned him yet.The wound stung like hell though, and being prodded was not helping.

"Hell." He muttered and stopped running. He deposited her gracelessly between two oak trees.

"Ouch!" Vanessa gritted her teeth. "You've been stabbed, Stephen. Let me see it."

"It's dark, sweetheart, and incase ye missed something earlier we are being hunted. "

"I am sure we lost them miles ago." Knowing they hadn't even gone a mile yet, Vanessa said standing up then sitting back down suddenly.

"Wha-" The pistol pressed against his temple and he stopped thinking. Everything blurred. What would they do to Vanessa once they killed him? Knowing she was wed to a pirate, they would think to use her, all of them, as they would a common whore. Stephen was unsure of a lot of things about her past, but he knew he was the one that stole her innocence. He'd be damned if anyone else tasted a fraction of it from her. He couldn't let himself be captured. He was no good to her dead.

Vanessa watched in horror when Stephen's arm swung out and struck the man holding him captive. A shot rung out and Stephen stumbled. He disappeared from view.

"Stephen!" Vanessa tried to run to where she saw him fall.

"Sssh, love." The solider who shot him, or at him - she wasn't entirely sure, grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. "That happens to be a very steep cliff the pirate just fell from. If I missed him, he surely broke his neck during the fall."

They walked some distance, the sound of the ocean getting nearer and nearer until Vanessa was sure they were just short of the shore. Another soldier joined them a moment later. He took one look at Vanessa and dismissed her from his concerns. "The pirate?"

"Dead."

"Ah, well. We can't have the pleasure of watching all of them hang. This is the woman he's been guarding so heavily? Not a great beauty is she? She's attractive enough, to be sure…. Must be an extremely good fuck for him to refuse to give her up, eh?"

The soldier dragging her along studied her with a frown. "She seemed quite distressed when Bonnet fell from the cliff. I think they may have been in love, Sir."

"Love?" The other soldier sneered. "A pirate? What nonsense. She's probably just some whore that he picked up and after she rattled his foundations a little saw a better life pleasuring a pirate captain than working nightly for her wages. I think I might give her a go when we get back to Edenton. I find myself curious about this one's worth to the pirate."

Vanessa felt sick.

Another soldier came out of the darkness. "She doesn't look particularly enthused about that proposition, Sir, perhaps you should explain her situation to her a little more clearly."

"Ah yes." He took her arm and escorted her away from the other soldier and out of the woods. The water sparkled in the moonlight; a calm presence that clashed with her inner turmoil. They had a skiff waiting to go back to their ship, and she didn't make it easy. He soldier ended up having to bound her hands and toss her over his shoulder to get her into it. Once they preceded to row out over the water the soldier found her situation to be of importance again.

"You don't need to look so aggitated. My name is Captain Samuel Carter; I am not your enemy."

"I'm sure." Vanessa remarked bitterly.

"They say you are wed to the pirate. Stephen Bonnet. Is this true?"

"No."

"You will address me as 'Sir'."

"I'm sorry. No, _Sir_." She added it with venom.

"Why would the few survivors of his ship refer to you as his wife then?"

"I was taken from my home in Oslo by Stephen Bonnet. He apparently thought to bed me, but had to set sail that day. Upon arrival in Scotland, an English officer noticed my trying to escape him and Bonnet told him I was his wife. He continued the charade to irk me. He knew know one would question him on the matter, and it gave him free reign to use me as he deemed necessary." Vanessa hated lying, but knew she had no choice. The undercurrents of being the wife of a pirate where sinister.

"Ah, so he took you against your will."

"Yes… Sir. After the first few times I gave up fighting him."

"So you were a virgin then? No prior experience with men?"

"No, Sir. I knew vaguely what a man..did… with a woman, but I did not expect it to be like that. To be honest it hurt a whole lot. I would rather have remained a spinster than go through the ordeal at all. I was told it only hurt the first time, but apparently that was a lie." Maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but if he thought she didn't enjoy it maybe he would reconsider trying to bed her.

"Maybe the pirate just didn't know how to do it right." The soldier smiled sardonically. So much for her plan on turning him off. God, did he just get off on her saying it hurt her? Eew.

As they approached the ship, all she could do was hope beyond hope that Stephen was alive and would rescue her.


End file.
